Car Trouble
by lindcita
Summary: Disgraced investment broker Ben Solo agrees to work as a tire technician undercover to learn more about his father Han's business franchises. Fast realizing that their new technician has no clue what he's doing, beautiful mechanic Rey takes him under her wing… and sparks fly, gears spin…
1. Chapter 1

"I just don't know how I managed to raise a son who doesn't know the difference between a lug nut and a wheel bolt."

Ben Solo sank lower in his chair, clenching his fists and slowly breathing in and out while his father continued to berate him in front of the entire board of Solo Tire and Lube Inc. The board members chuckled and Han Solo carried on with his rant.

"I mean, it's not like I didn't try you know. Tried to get the kid out in my garage with me on Saturday mornings, working on my old Falcon, but he would always rather be holed up in his downstairs dungeon, doing who knows what on his computer and reading comic books. Then I don't think he ever stepped foot out of his dorm room in college. Hell, I don't think the kid even got laid until well into his 20s…"

"All right, all right," piped in Chewie, Han's longtime colleague and best friend, cutting him off, holding up a large hand and fighting a tiny smile.

Ben looked in Chewie's direction and accidentally caught the eye of his young assistant seated beside him. She gave him a sympathetic grin, and he felt his neck flush an even darker color than it was before. He ducked his head and clenched his jaw, staying silent even as the anger filled every part of him and threatened to rise and spill over. Breathe in, breathe out. He knew he couldn't afford an outburst. The board was already wary of him, his past, and his nepotistic hiring.

After the incident at First Order Corp, Ben couldn't find a single financial company willing to take a chance on him, despite his impressive resume. So, after seven years of barely speaking to his parents, he drove home with his tail between his legs and begged for help. That was how he ended up in this conference room working for the company he had built his entire career on trying to avoid.

Not that Solo Tire and Lube was anything to scoff at. The well-known race car driver Han Solo had built a successful garage using his fame early in his career and the company really took off when his then-fiance's father made a sizable investment in its growth. Now the company spanned thirty states with over 500 locations. When Ben was a child, Han used to sweep him up and tell him how someday they would work together and he'd eventually leave the company to his son. Once Ben hit adolescence, though, Han became more distant and it became clear to Ben that he wasn't the type of son Han had hoped to have. He much preferred talking politics with his mother, or reading quietly in his room. By the time he left for Harvard, he told his father he wanted nothing to do with Solo Tire and planned to major in whatever would help him find a job doing anything else.

When he had returned home a few months earlier, Han gruffly patted him on the back and told him he'd find a role for him in the company. His mom whispered to him later how thrilled he had made Han and that one of the reasons he had never gone public was he was always hoping Ben would return someday and join him at work.

But it was clear that Han was determined to put Ben through the ringer first.

Han laughed off Chewie's intervention and folded his arms, leaning over the conference table.

"Fine, fine, so anyway, it's probably best that old Benny learn a few things about cars before we continue to entrust him with any grand roles in this company. Any thoughts?" He looked around the large table at his associates.

Alvin Ackbar, the company's COO, lifted a hand.

"Seems to me that Ben just needs exposure to the workings of a garage. I mean, your previous employer dealt with…" He pointed at Ben, looking for an answer.

Ben cleared his throat, surprised anyone was letting him get a word in.

"Um, stocks and bonds."

"Stocks and bonds." Ackbar leaned back and rolled his eyes. "No wonder the kid knows nothing about what we do."

At this, Ben felt a little defensive. He had been working directly under Ackbar for two months and felt like his contributions to the everyday business dealings of Solo Tire were worthwhile. He was even starting to develop an investment initiative to bring Solo overseas. He may not have known how to change a tire without calling AAA, but he had an MBA and years of business experience.

"You're right," said Han. He paused, thinking for a long moment, and then turned to look directly at his son. "Hey Ben, you ever seen that show Undercover Boss?"

Ben had a bad feeling about this.

That evening, Ben stormed into his parents' home, nearly knocking over their butler Threeprio.

"Dad! DAD!" he yelled into the entryway. He stomped into the kitchen where he saw both of his parents hovering over the island, snacking on some pita chips and hummus.

His mother glanced up with a wary expression but his dad gave him a crooked smile and bit of a head nod. It made Ben even more furious.

"What the hell was that today in the boardroom?" he thundered. "I thought you wanted me here. All these years, 'Ben, when are you going to come work for me,' or 'Ben, there's always a place for you at Solo Tire,' and the second I accept, BOOM! Thrown under the bus by my own father!"

"I'm only doing this because I want you to last here. It's for your own good. It's done, Ben," said his father calmly. "We've already made the arrangements. You'll begin work on Monday as an entry-level mechanic at one of our locations in Coruscant Hills."

Coruscant Hills?

"Do people there even own cars? Can they even afford a mechanic? I bet Mitaka won't even drive me there!"

"Don't be a snob, Ben," said Han, rolling his eyes. "It's a well-regarded garage. I had Chewie look into it. Plus, they were the only franchise in the area with an immediate opening that they were willing to fill with a novice. You'll be incognito. I told them your name was Kylo Ren."

Of-freaking-course. Ben wanted to punch the smug smirk clean off his dad's face. He even saw his mom crack a smile before wiping it off.

"What?" Han said in mock defense in response to Ben's expression. "I'm not the one who came up with the name."

"Dad I was THIRTEEN YEARS OLD!"

He took a threatening step closer before his mom stepped between him and his dad, holding out both of her hands.

"That's enough you two," she said in her best politician voice. "Ben, your dad had to placate the board somehow, and the experience should do you well in the long run. Just try to have a good experience. And Han, please stop antagonizing our son."

Han stepped back.

"Look, kid. It'll do you some good and build goodwill with everyone in the company, not just the board. Besides, we're leaving your compensation package as it is and keeping your seat warm in the boardroom. It's not like I'm asking you to move there. It's only six months of good, honest, 9-5 work. You'll learn a thing or two, and perhaps help us better understand the inner workings of the company when you return. Just think of it as a bit of corporate research."

"But why does it have to be undercover anyway?" Ben felt himself start to whine. He knew how pathetic he was going to seem on his first day, and wouldn't mind everyone knowing the circumstances of his ignorance.

"That was my doing. It'd be best if the employees acted like they would normally without feeling the pressure of the owner's son there. Also, it wouldn't hurt you to get knocked down a few pegs, experience some hard work. This is my company, Ben, and my rules. I hope someday it will be yours, but for now, I'm in charge. I never had a fancy trust fund to fall back on when I was young…"

This again. Ben held up in hand in supplication before he was given his dad's full speech on being a self-made man (and carefully avoided a screaming match when he reminded his dad how his father-in-law had given him a leg up).

"All right, all right, I'll do it. Six months. Not a day more."

Monday morning came before Ben was ready. Mitaka pulled up to his apartment complex at 7:20 sharp to begin their voyage to the borough of Coruscant Hills. Ben slid into the backseat and took the coffee Mitaka handed to him like a lifeline after his long and restless night. He remembered getting teased in school for his ears and overall awkwardness and had enjoyed the past few years where he commanded respect from everyone he associated with. He was not looking forward to spending his day looking like a complete idiot.

As they drove off, Mitaka looked into the rearview mirror.

"There's a package here your dad asked me to give you this morning."

He handed back a small box. Ben opened it warily. Inside was a hideous blonde wig and coke bottle glasses that should never have left the seventies. He tossed them to the side angrily and pulled out his phone.

 **Very funny, Dad. I am not wearing those.**

A few minutes later his phone chirped.

 **Would you have preferred I send you a Kylo Ren mask and cape?**

Ben chucked his phone at the seat in front of you before he grabbed it back up, carefully checking it over for cracks.

 **No one is going to know who I am. I've only been with the company two months. I'm not wearing any disguise.**

Ben saw the three little dots appearing but he locked his phone and put it in his pocket to avoid seeing his father's response. He watched out the window as the streets got a bit grimier, and the shiny skyscrapers morphed into signs for shady dealerships and payday loan establishments. They finally pulled in front of a clean enough looking Solo Tire and Lube storefront and garage.

He sighed, and leaned forward.

"Mitaka, I get off at five. Don't be late."

He climbed out and knocked on the locked front door.

"Oy!" Ben heard a voice call from one of the open garage bays. "Are you the new guy? Come on back here. We don't unlock the front door until we open."

Ben followed the voice to the open garage door and walked in. There were a couple mechanics setting up and organizing tools. He was able to match the voice he had heard to the black man waving him over in a friendly manner.

"Hey mate," said the man once Ben had approached. "My name's Finn. Welcome aboard. I'm sorry but remind me of your name? It was one I hadn't heard before."

Ben took his offered hand and shook it.

"It's, um, Ren. Kylo Ren. Just call me Ren."

"Ren. Got it man. K, well, Ren, we've got a lot of appointments scheduled this morning for routine maintenance, but with a holiday weekend coming, we tend to have a lot of drop ins getting their car into shape before their road trips. We'll be pretty swamped back here so it'd be great if you could man the front any time you hear a customer come in."

Ben was immediately relieved.

"Yeah, yeah, okay I can do that."

"Plutt, the owner, sometimes does intake, but honestly, the less he's in front of customers, the better." Finn gave Ben a dark look. "Plus, Plutt owns three other locations in the area and is always in and out of his office anyway. He usually just sits back there and does financials, and trust me, none of us complain about that."

Ben could only nod along. Outgoing people like Finn always made him a bit uncomfortable. He would never have their easy manner with strangers.

"Well speaking of, you should probably head into Plutt's office now. He'll set you up with your paperwork and uniform."

Finn pointed Ben in the direction of a door that lead right into the storefront. Ben walked in and found Plutt's office. He knocked and was acknowledged by the grunt of a very large, older man.

"Hi, I'm Kylo Ren. This is my first day…"

"Ah yes, I already got your paperwork in from corporate. They pushed you through. Must be related to some bigwig, eh?"

"Um…"

"Look, I don't care who you are as long as you get your work done and don't cause me trouble. Now take your uniform and leave me alone. My guys can tell you what to do."

He tossed a jumpsuit in Ben's direction and turned right back to his computer. Ben, grateful for the quick interaction, slinked out the door and went back to find Finn again. As Finn had predicted, the garage had a constant slew of customers and Ben kept busy acting as liaison between the garage and the storefront. So far, he was lucky enough to avoid exposing any of his actual automotive ignorance. A little before lunch, a man came into the store and Ben greeted him just as Finn had told him.

"Welcome to Solo Tire. What can we help you with today?"

"I don't really know," said the man. "Something's up with my truck. A friend told me to come here and ask for Ray."

Ben hadn't met a Ray yet, but he also hadn't spent a lot of time in the bay.

"K sir, let me see what I can do." He left him to walk back and find Finn.

"Hey, Finn, um, some guy showed up asking for a Ray?"

Finn nodded.

"That happens all the time. You'd think none of the rest of us even work here." He turned and hollered into the lot behind the garage. "Hey! Ray! C'mere!"

Ben was startled when a young woman came into sight, wiping her hands off on a rag.

"What's up?" she asked, not even looking in Ben's direction.

"Hey, do you have a minute? Someone up front is asking for you. Ren here will show you who."

Finn tilted his head towards Ben, and the woman's eyes noticed Ben for the first time. Ben felt himself gulp involuntarily and he shifted his feet slightly. He looked down at her nametag and flicked his eyes right back up, aware that she could misconstrue his looking at her chest.

"You must be new. I'm Rey. Welcome to Solo."

Her British accent threw him off even more. She stuck out her hand and offered him a bright smile. Ben stuttered for just a minute before he remembered himself and took her offered hand.

"Yeah, um, thanks. I'll show you inside."

Ben spun on his heels to avoid showing Rey and Finn any more of his beet red features. He had been caught totally unaware that there was a woman working here, much less a pretty one. His mother would definitely lecture him on assuming that mechanics were only men, but here they were. As he strutted quickly back inside, he chanced a glance behind him and saw the woman following right behind. When they got to the desk, Ben gestured awkwardly at the waiting man and ducked to the side.

That afternoon, the moment came that Ben had been dreading. The bay got so overwhelmed with cars that one of the mechanics came and grabbed Ben to do a few "simple tire rotations and oil changes, no big deal, you can handle that right?" Ben silently cursed his father, the board, and the entire automobile industry before stiffly following the mechanic out into the bay. He had spent some time watching Youtube tutorials over the weekend and felt like he understood basic mechanics from a textbook perspective. However, looking at the car in front of him, he felt like David facing Goliath.

His hands shook as he popped the hood and peered at the intimidating array of gadgets within. He looked around nervously but everyone was either underneath a vehicle or busy under a hood. Picking up a wrench, he made a move back towards the car. Suddenly, he felt a warm hand grasp his wrist gently and carefully nudge the wrench from his grasp. He looked down to see a pair of bright hazel eyes smiling back up at him.

"Let me help you out. Forgive me, but it seems like you're not quite sure what you're doing."

"Yeah, I, uh, just changed industries. I'm new to all this."

Rey nodded understandingly and smiled, and her nose crinkled up in this process. Ben noticed the array of tiny freckles sprinkling her nose and cheeks. Her messy bun bounced a little, and her hand dropped from Ben's wrist. He wanted to grab it back.

"Don't you have your own work to be doing?" He spoke softly, and his eyes darted to the side.

"I've got a couple cars whose owners have left them for the night. I'll stay late or come early tomorrow and finish them up. In the end, it will benefit us much more if you know what you're doing."

Ben nodded slowly, still in a bit of shock. She immediately got to work, explaining everything she was doing as she did it. He tried as hard as he could to focus on her words and instructions, and not just the soothing sound of her voice or the curve of her hips in the silly jumpsuit. He was painfully aware of how he looked in his, far too tall with his ankles peeking out like when he went through his growth spurt in middle school.

By the end of the hour, he had successfully changed two tires and was starting to get the knack of an oil change. Rey acted like he was a genius in the making and encouraged him every step of the way. After he started picking up some basic skills, she began making light conversation.

"So Ren, do you live near here?"

"Um, yeah…" Ren scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I'm new to the area, so I'm just trying to figure it all out."

"Got it. It takes a while for sure. Obviously I'm not from here either. I moved here when I was thirteen, but I'm a pro at the bus routes now, if you need any help with that. Finn said you had a friend or Uber drop you off this morning. I don't know if they're picking you up again when we're done, but I catch the 520 headed east after this if you're going in that direction."

"Yeah, I think that would take me home too. Thanks, Rey. That'd be great."

She grinned back at him and reached back down to grab another tool. Quickly, Ben grabbed his phone and shot a text to Mitaka.

 **Taking the bus after work. Will send a pin with my location when I decide to get off.**


	2. Chapter 2

Much to Ben's disappointment, Rey soon got called away to deal with some more troubling engine issues in another garage bay. Before she left, she yelled out to a scrawny little worker she called Teedo to come over and help Ben finish up and close out the register. Ben sneaked a glance at his phone and was relieved to see it read 4:45, meaning only fifteen minutes were left until closing. He had always put in at least twelve-hour days at First Order but the busy day at the garage on his feet and using his hands had drained him in a way he had never experienced. Before he put his phone away, he winced when he saw the oil smudges on the screen.

His hands were disgusting, covered in black grease. He turned both hands over and examined his nails, his brow crinkling in disgust. When he looked up, he saw Teedo wearing a mocking sneer.

"You mess up your manicure, Ren?" Teedo asked. "Well, pretty boy, apparently I have to help you finish a basic oil change because Plutt is so damn cheap he can't bother hiring someone with some experience because they might cost a couple more bucks an hour."

Teedo continued mumbling to himself under his breath as he pushed Ben to the side and gestured to a nearby vacuum.

"Here, make yourself useful and vacuum the floor mats while I finish this up. Do you need me to teach you how to turn it on? You push on. OH-EN."

Ben gritted his teeth and took the vacuum head begrudgingly, picturing snapping the little weasel in half or at least telling him about all the expensive cars he had ridden in that Teedo could never even hope to repair. When he noticed Teedo's eyes on him, Ben made a big show of dramatically pushing the on button and got to work. He couldn't remember the last time he had vacuumed a car, if ever. Probably at some point in high school when his parents had attempted to enforce a few chores when they remembered to pay attention to their moody son. He had driven his own car in college and grad school, but tended to just send it to the local car wash to be detailed. For the past few years, Mitaka had dealt with all of his car maintenance.

Ben couldn't help but be disgusted by the floor of the minivan he was asked to vacuum. The carpet was dotted with abandoned Cheerios, dusty fruit snacks, smashed Goldfish, and stale French fries. At one point, he had to gingerly dislodge a sticky lollipop from the carpet so the vacuum could finish the job. He about gagged when he saw the underside of the lollipop covered with hair and crumbs before the vacuum sucked it away.

Once satisfied enough with his work, he looked up to see Teedo slamming the hood shut before he climbed into the drivers seat.

"I'll pull the car around if you go in and find the driver," said Teedo. "We'll get her checked out and close out everything for the day."

Ben went back into the storefront and tracked down a harried looking mom scrolling mindlessly through her iPhone while the little demons responsible for the van's filth built blocks on the floor in the little play area.

"Hey, um, ma'am? We've got your van ready." Ben's voice startled the woman out of her Instagram haze. Just then, one of the kids dumped out a large bucket of crayons all over the floor, making woman roll her eyes and sigh heavily, before she went over to clean up and prevent more destruction.

Ben bent down to help her out. Noting his mom's distraction, the toddler boy behind the mess ran off but Ben automatically shot out an arm and pulled him back to his mom. His mom grasped his chubby little hand tightly and together, she and Ben picked up all the crayons and blocks.

"Thank you so much," said the woman as they walked to the counter where Teedo waited.

"No problem," Ben muttered, looking down. He had mostly wanted to help her so they could check her out and close up sooner.

At the counter, Ben couldn't help but notice Rey animatedly chatting with a customer. She was breaking down the car's issues and fixes carefully, and Ben could see the customer's head bobbing in appreciation. When she finished, she gave the customer a wide smile that spread to her dimples. Ben felt a little envious that the other guy had been the recipient of such a smile, but knew that was completely ridiculous.

Finally, Ben and the others worked to close and lock up. He had managed to wash most of the oil off his hands, but there was no saving his nail beds. Ben watched Finn give Rey a hug and kiss on the cheek before he took off, whistling and swinging his keys. Ben's eyes fell to the ground and he could barely lift a hand to wave and mumble a goodbye when he heard Finn yell to him that it was nice to meet him. But it really didn't matter who Rey chose to see, or hug, or kiss. She was just a coworker at this stupid garage. Still, his heart skipped a beat when he felt a light tap on his arm and looked over to see Rey standing by him.

"Hey Ren, you ready to go catch the bus? Unless you decided to call Uber again? The bus is a lot cheaper, you know, only $2.20 per trip, although I just get a monthly pass. I can show you where to get one at the grocery store later, but probably today you should just get the single use pass right on the bus. Do you have enough cash with you? I'm happy to spot you if you don't."

Ben took all that information in and was grateful he had broken a twenty over the weekend to tip his bartender.

"No, I've got it, but thanks Rey. Lead the way."

Rey started walking, and continued talking. "So what are your cross-streets? Let's figure out the stop you'll need to get off on."

Ben panicked. "Um, I'm not entirely sure. Like I said, I just moved in and I haven't learned the layout. I'm planning to mostly watch for landmarks and map it out as I go." He cringed inwardly. Real smooth.

"Oooh, he'll map it out as he goes," said Rey, lifting one eyebrow in mock amazement. "Well, okay then Columbus, don't blame me if you end up stranded in the middle of nowhere, searching for your apartment all night. We can just input your address in GPS you know. That would be a lot more efficient." She reached into her pocket for her phone and Ben's eyes darted quickly from side to side.

"Dinner!" he blurted out. His neck flushed immediately.

"What?" Rey's eyes flicked up from her phone.

He swallowed and tried to compose himself. "Are there any good places to eat nearby? You're the expert and all. I'm starving. If you're not busy right away I could get some for you too, to say thanks for all the help today."

Rey seemed surprised, but nodded.

"Sure, there's a burger joint not far from here that Finn and I get for lunch a lot, if that's your thing."

It was definitely not Ben's thing, but he wasn't going to say so. She turned in the direction of the restaurant and Ben followed, half-listening as she chirped on about the onion rings and special sauce, something that sounded like a disgusting mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup. He looked up and down the street and wondered if the state's health inspectors even bothered to visit this neighborhood. In the end, it didn't matter, he decided. If the food they served didn't kill him, the grease embedded in his skin would rub on the bun and finish the job anyway.

Rey went right to the counter and ordered a burger, onion rings, and chocolate shake like she'd done it a million times before. She turned to him expectantly and he tried to scan the menu as quickly as possible looking for anything worth eating.

"Uhh, what's good?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "Well, you just heard me order, so I think it's safe to assume that I think that's good."

"Fine." Ben turned to the cashier. "Same as her, but a glass of ice water instead of the milkshake."

"Booo! Party pooper!" Rey teased him from behind, but he ignored it, rifling in the pocket of his jumpsuit for his wallet.

Rey immediately shoved her way in front of him and handed the cashier her credit card.

"No way, mister. I'm buying dinner. To welcome you on board."

"But I invited you!" Ben protested.

She looked right in his eyes as she passed the card quickly to the cashier to swipe.

"I know that, and thank you, but I know how it is when you get a new apartment with a security deposit and whatever else and start a new job as you wait for your first paycheck. It makes things tight, and I can help you out a bit."

She smiled at him encouragingly before she turned to fill out the receipt. Ben felt sick. He watched helplessly as Rey carefully calculated a tip using her phone's calculator and looked up at the ceiling like she was tallying something up. He made sure to take in the final price on the receipt before they stepped away to find a booth. He was aware that the cashier had witnessed the whole interaction, and he couldn't imagine how pathetic he looked, in a dirty jumpsuit while someone covered his meal because he was apparently broke.

As they sat, Ben was seized by a sudden thought.

"Will Finn mind that we're on…that we're getting dinner… together… without him?" Ben stammered out.

"Finn?" Rey asked, surprised. She waved a hand carelessly. "Nah, he had his other job tonight. He's a server at a Chili's a couple nights a week. It's pretty cool. Sometimes he brings leftover chips the next morning."

"He was really helpful to me too, today."

"He's the best." Rey smiled even wider than he had seen her do before. "There's really no one like Finn. I've known him for years. He joined the garage the same time I officially started working."

"Officially?"

Something flashed across her face and she waved her hand again as if to wipe away his question and spoke quickly.

"So I'm sorry I had to leave you with Teedo there at the end. He can be a bit of a prick. Was he really rude to you?"

"A bit," replied Ben honestly, "but I think he was mostly upset that I wasn't very helpful, which is understandable. In the end, he just put me on vacuuming duty. It helped us finish quickly, especially since the car was really dirty."

"Wait," said Rey. "He made you vacuum the car? Why?"

"Aren't we supposed to?" Ben asked slowly.

"No," said Rey, giggling. "Looks like Teedo took you on a bit of ride there. Make you work and get you out of his hair all at once. That's wrong though. He should have been helping you learn."

Ben groaned. "It was a minivan."

"Oof," said Rey, wincing sympathetically. "Obviously, I really only ever sit in the driver's seat of the cars we see, but I'm not blind. Those minivans can be cesspools."

"A smorgasbord of yesterday's snacks," said Ben, finally cracking a smile in spite of himself.

"I saw you in there after, helping the mom clean up her kid's messes and saving her little runaway. You were like her knight in dark blue linen." She put her hand over her heart dramatically.

Ben looked down at the table, chuckling and shaking his head.

"She was totally checking you out, you know."

Ben rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Stop it, no she wasn't."

"She definitely was!" yelled Rey triumphantly. "When you walked her back to the desk, she looked you up and down and then watched you with these dreamy eyes while you were finishing her paperwork. Trust me, I'm a woman, I know these things."

Just then, the server brought them their food and Rey was instantly distracted, saving Ben from the embarrassing direction their conversation was going. He looked at the array before him, and sampled an onion ring nimbly. It had been years since he had had fried food, but he reminded himself that Kylo Ren probably ate like this all the time.

"Oh no," said Rey, noticing him. "You've got to try it with the zesty sauce." She gestured to the orangish-peachish dip in a little plastic cup.

He acquiesced and chanced a little dip, like a child sticking a toe into a swimming pool. To his surprise, it was pretty good. His face must have shown his reaction, because Rey looked immensely satisfied with herself. He was still eating his onion rings and hadn't even touched his burger when he noticed she had finished all her food and was sipping at her milkshake. Her eyes were darting around the restaurant and he figured it was his turn to bring up a topic.

"So how long have you been at Solo Tire?"

Her eyes snapped back to his and she thought for a moment. "Well, I started there when I was eighteen, so that was five years ago this past April. I can't even believe that sometimes."

"Is there something you would rather be doing?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love working with cars, but I definitely wish I could finish school." She shook her head sadly.

"Well, why don't you?" It seemed simple enough to Ben. She clearly had a good head on her shoulders.

While so confident before, Rey suddenly seemed very interested in her straw wrapper, wrapping it and unwrapping it around her finger.

"You know, no parents, no money, unsupportive guardian who made too much to qualify for financial aid. I've managed to get a few college credits online through Coruscant U using Solo Tire's scholarship program, but the program only covers a few select courses. I don't have the time or money to attend in person classes at CU, and besides, it's clear on the other side of town and then I'd have to get a car…"

Her voice drifted off and Ben thought again about the food in front of him that she had paid for. He picked up his burger and bit into it voraciously. He'd find a way to pay her back somehow.

"So Ren, what about you? What were you doing before you decided to learn the exciting art of car repair?"

Ben thought for a moment, and decided it wouldn't hurt to tell some version of the truth.

"I worked at a bank," he said, "but the owners got involved in a scandal and got shut down by the government. It was this whole huge thing. Anyway, it's tough to continue in the financial world once you've worked for a bank that's been shut down. It's like you're tainted to future employers. Doesn't matter if you're the lowliest employee on the totem pole, everyone thinks you may have been involved somehow."

"Wow," said Rey, eyes wide. "That really sucks, Ren."

"Yeah," said Ben. "I'm lucky I could get this job. It's obviously a lot different than what I was doing but it's honest work and I can learn a lot."

"Well I'm very impressed with you that you took a bad situation and turned it into a learning opportunity. Lots of people wouldn't do that. And don't worry; most of the stuff you'll be doing at Solo is pretty rudimentary. I'm sure a smart banker can figure it out in no time." She winked at him.

His mouth went dry, and he took a quick sip of his water to cover his expression. He felt uncomfortable that she was heaping all this sympathy on him when she had clearly had such a rough start herself. He thought about the secret paycheck he'd be getting from Solo headquarters on top of his one from Plutt, and wished he could just give it to Rey. He thought of the efficient way she had worked all day and knew she deserved every penny far more than he did. He heard her chair scratch the floor and her voice telling him she was going to run to the restroom.

When she was out of sight, he pulled out his phone to shoot a text to his buddy Hux.

 **Hey, can't make it to the gym tonight. Something came up.**

Then he opened Google and typed "Coruscant Hills apartment complexes" into the search bar. He scrolled through the results quickly, worried that at any moment Rey would appear behind him. He was able to find a complex that appeared to be in the direction her bus would be going and copy and pasted the address. He sent it to Mitaka and told him to meet him at the address listed. Just then, a text came in from Hux.

 **I hope that something is a someone, and that someone has breasts.**

Ben snorted and again looked up to make sure Rey wasn't behind him.

 **Maybe. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. In fact, I have a lot to talk about. I've had a crazy few days.**

Hux responded quickly.

 **All right man, I'll let you off the hook. Have fun tonight. *winky face emoji* But if I wreck my back because you weren't here to spot me, I'm sending my medical bills to you.**

Ben quickly typed back " **deal"** and locked his phone right as Rey returned.

"You ready to go?" she asked. "I think we can catch the 6:15 bus if we hurry over."

"Great," said Ben, standing and gathering up their trash. He followed her out and down the street to the bus stop. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He hadn't even ever ridden a school bus, except for the fancy ones his prep school provided for the odd field trip. When he first moved to Corellia to start at First Order in between college and grad school, he had taken the subway exactly two times before buying the very expensive parking pass that would allow him to drive to Wall Street.

"So do you have the address?" Rey asked him while they waited at the bus stop.

"Yeah," said Ben, pulling out his phone. He showed Rey where he had marked the location on his Google map and she gasped excitedly.

"Wait, you live at Takodano too?"

Kriff. He hadn't even thought about this possibility. He nodded, gulping.

"That's great!" continued Rey. "We can just commute together. I must have totally missed you moving in. I was at Finn's for most of the weekend."

She continued jabbering as the bus pulled to the curb.

"What do you think of Maz? She can be pretty kooky, but overall she's a really nice and attentive land lady."

As she climbed aboard, she flashed her pass at the driver. Ben fumbled with his wallet to collect a couple dollars out and feed them into a little dispenser near the driver's seat. He heard the coins clink below, giving him change. He would have much rather just left them than crouch down and stick his fingers in the little hole, but he knew Rey was watching expectantly. As he bent, his elbow swiped the leg of large lady sitting in the front row and he yanked it back awkwardly, which then made him bonk into Rey's ankle. He grabbed out his coins and stood up quickly, whacking his head on a low hanging bar. Before today, he would have said he had never felt more out of his element, but the day had been chock full of the feeling.

Rey grimaced on his behalf and quickly found a couple empty seats. He felt every eye on the bus on him as he slunk back and sat down next to her, his legs barely fitting in the space in front of him. To his astonishment, Rey started rubbing his head.

"That looked painful. You're too tall for your own good, you know. Where does it hurt?"

Ben leaned his head towards her, indicating the side he had hurt. She rubbed back and forth and he closed his eyes, suddenly able to ignore the fact he was on a grimy city bus in Coruscant Hills, dressed in a mechanic's outfit, getting caressed by a girl who was maybe dating his coworker, and just focus on the feeling of her fingers in his hair. It was incredibly soothing, but she stopped after just a few moments.

"So, since we live in the same complex, I can help you catch the bus in the morning, too," she said, once she had dropped her hand and he looked back up. "Although, I guess I have to go early tomorrow morning and finish up those two cars before we open up. It won't take me long, but I'd hate to make you have to get up earlier. I can just show you what to do when we get off –"

"Its fine," Ben interrupted her. "It's only fair that I go in early and help you out since you used up your time teaching me today. Maybe you can show me what you're doing as you go?"

He hated how stupidly hopeful he sounded. He apparently said the right thing, though, because he was rewarded with another dazzling smile.

"That would be great, Ren. There's a bus that leaves at 6:09 AM. If we catch that, it should give us enough time to finish the cars before 8."

They finished the rest of the bus ride in comfortable silence before eventually getting off. She guided him down the street and to the complex's parking lot.

"Which apartment is yours?" asked Rey.

He looked over at the numbers on the doors but was too nervous to pick one in case it might be Rey's. It was bound to happen, with his luck today.

"Before I go there, let me walk you to your door," Ben answered instead. "I feel like it's my job to make sure you get home safely."

"Ren, we're already here."

"Yeah, but my mom would have my neck if I ever let a woman walk home alone at night in a dangerous neighborhood."

"Oh, my gosh," said Rey, exasperated. "You're as bad as Finn. It's not dark, and it's not even a dangerous neighborhood. I've lived here for ten years and have been just fine. But fine, I'll allow it." She said this with the air of bestowing a great favor.

Ben grinned and followed her to her door.

"K, well, we're here," said Rey. "Where is yours?"

"Erm, upstairs," said Ben.

"What's the number? I'd love to bring you some-"

Just then, Ben's ringtone went off and he snatched up his phone, which displayed Mitaka's name. Relieved, he held it up to Rey apologetically and said, "oh, really gotta take this. Have a good night Rey. See you in the morning."

He slipped away to answer, hearing Mitaka say he was outside the complex. As he climbed in the car, he looked at Mitaka and said, "just don't ask."

"Wasn't gonna," said Mitaka.


	3. Chapter 3

Before Mitaka pulled out of the parking lot, Ben noticed a man of similar age locking up his car nearby and got a crazy idea. He quickly tapped Mitaka on the shoulder and asked him to wait for a second. He bounded out of the car and chased after the man.

"Hey! Excuse me sir!" he called out. The man turned around and waited as Ben crossed the space between them in two large strides.

"Hey, do you live here?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" the man responded affably.

"What level are you on?"

The man eyed him warily and responded very slowly, "seven…"

Ben's mouth moved before his brain could process what he was doing. "I'll pay you $1000 cash if I can pretend that your apartment is mine."

The man coughed a bit and his eyes widened. "Sorry, what?"

Ben barreled on quickly, his words speeding up as he spoke. "One thousand dollars, tonight, if I can just use your apartment occasionally, accept packages, nothing major, just when I need it. I'll just be a fake roommate from time to time. If you already have roommates, I'll pay them too."

The man looked Ben up and down, and then cautiously glanced around him at the empty parking lot.

"Look, man, I don't know what you've got going on, but I don't want to get involved in whatever it is."

Suddenly, Ben's brain decided to catch up with his body, like a jogger lagging behind at a finish line. It hit him how it looked for a random man in a blue-collar uniform to approach someone and offer large amounts of cash for an alternate address.

Ben held up both hands immediately in a placating gesture. "No, no, I'm not a criminal or anything. I don't do drugs, sell drugs, nothing like that. I know it's weird, and trust me, I've never done anything like this before. It's a long story, but I may have told a girl I live here."

The man shuffled on his feet and peered behind him at the complex, clearly desperate to escape.

"If you need an apartment this bad," he said, "and you've got money, why don't you just get one?"

Ben paused. Thoughts were rushing through his head. He couldn't believe he had worked himself into this silly predicament, and he also couldn't believe how desperate he was to have an apartment in Coruscant Hills of all places. He weighed his options. If the complex had vacancies and he got his own apartment, he'd have to furnish it in case Rey ever came by. It would be so much simpler to just have a fake roommate to answer the door when she came and tell her he was out. If she ever came. If she cared enough… This was ridiculous. Just then, the man spoke again.

"I'm getting the feeling you'd like to avoid management. Tell you what, I want nothing to do with whatever this is, but I have a neighbor whose roommate recently moved out. I think he's usually pretty hard up for cash and basically never leaves the apartment, so he can get your packages or whatever. He's sort of creepy too, so he probably won't ask many questions."

Too? Did that mean he was creepy on top of other things, or that Ben was also creepy? Ben grimaced through the man's whole speech. He definitely wasn't excited about the prospect of this shady, shut-in roommate, but figured he would never spend any real time in the apartment anyway.

"Fine," huffed Ben. "Can you take me to him?"

In the corner of his eye, he could see Mitaka curiously peering out the window of his car. Ben held up one finger in his direction to ask him to wait as he followed the man into the complex and into the elevator. They rode up awkwardly as the floor numbers changed painfully slow. Ben was pretty sure they could get to the top level of his high rise condo building in the time it took this elevator to take them seven floors.

The man walked Ben down the hallway and knocked on a door. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal an overweight man with a scruffy neck beard and dirty t-shirt.

"Hey Porkins, are you still looking for a roommate?" the man with Ben asked, and got a nod in response. "K, great. This guy is looking for a roommate too. I'll let him explain everything."

The man waved between them and rushed off eagerly to his own apartment, happy to have washed his hands of the entire strange affair.

"Can I come in?" asked Ben tepidly, dreading the very idea.

The man called Porkins stepped back and gestured inside. Ben stepped in and was instantly hit with the smell of old food and dirty socks. He nearly groaned out loud when he saw the empty Chinese cartons and pizza boxes strewn about the floor and in the tiny adjacent kitchen space. He saw the man hold out a hand towards the couch, inviting him to sit, but Ben pursed his lips and shook his head tightly.

"No, no, I'm fine," said Ben. "I'll make this quick. My name is Kylo Ren, but you can call me Ren." He glanced awkwardly at their hands, not wanting to offer his own to this man. To his relief, Porkins just gave him a curt nod and kept his hands at his sides.

"Jake Tono, but everyone calls me Porkins."

"How did you get that…" Ben trailed off. He didn't really want to know. "You know what, I'll just cut to the chase. I told someone I live here and I don't. I have a condo somewhere else but I need a place here…"

"To maintain the lie," Porkins filled in automatically. Ben was taken aback at how easily he accepted this. "How much money we talking about?"

"Uh, yeah," said Ben, still slightly shocked. "$1000 every month that we do this. I'll hardly ever be here, but I need a key and free reign to come in and out as I please. Also, if anyone comes asking for me, tell them I'm out. Make something up. And just leave management out of it. This arrangement shouldn't last long."

"All right," replied Porkins, "I'll give you a key, and you can use the air mattress in the second room if you need it. But couple rules - first, no drugs in the apartment. I don't want the fuzz sniffing around here. Also, most important, stay out of my room, and away from my computer."

Ben had no problem agreeing to this. A few minutes later, Ben emerged from the complex with a key to the most disgusting apartment in the world on a Mario keychain and a new contact in his phone that read "Porkins." This day could not get any stranger. He climbed back into his car, and Mitaka drove off without comment. After a few minutes of silence, Ben looked into the rearview mirror and caught Mitaka's eye.

"Please send a cleaning service to apartment 7C tomorrow, I don't care what it costs," said Ben. "And I need to be back here by about six AM tomorrow."

Mitaka nodded. "You got it sir." He paused. "I take it the gym is out tonight?"

"Yes," said Ben, rubbing his forehead. "Just take me home."

He was dreaming of the long, hot shower he would take when he got there, when his phone buzzed and his father's name lit up. He picked it up to push "ignore," but at the last second decided to accept the call.

"Dad."

"Hey kid! How's our newest grease monkey? Learn the difference between the hood and the trunk yet?"

Ben felt his anger rise, and responded haughtily, "Actually, the day was a piece of cake. Maybe I know more than you give me credit for."

"Is that so?" Ben could hear the humor in Han's voice, and felt grateful they weren't talking face to face. "So you could come by right now and change my oil?"

"I would," Ben shot back, "but I've got to get some rest as I'm going in early tomorrow to assist on some more complicated repairs."

"What kind of repairs?"

"Hard ones."

"Ah, yes," responded Han. "I've heard of those. Only attempted by the most skilled of mechanics. Can't wait to hear all about it on Friday."

"Fine," said Ben, and turned off the call before his dad could get another word in.

The next morning, Ben had Mitaka circle the Takodano parking lot to make sure Rey wasn't already outside. Once the coast was clear, he got out and found the bus stop from the night before. About five minutes later, he saw Rey lumbering up. As soon as they made eye contact, Rey's face broke into a smile and she waved enthusiastically. Ben's cheeks warmed, and he lifted a hand in response.

"Good morning Ren," she said, taking a seat beside him on the bench. "How was your night?"

"It was pretty uneventful," said Ben. "How about yours?"

"Super exciting," she replied. "Netflix, ice cream, need I say more?" She held out her hands dramatically. "No, but really, it actually was nice. My roommate was at her boyfriend's for the night, so I had the apartment to myself."

All he could do was nod in response as the bus came up to the curb. Ben pulled $2.20 in exact change out of his pocket, not eager to repeat yesterday's clumsy episode. He was thankful to find the bus mostly empty at this early hour, and they were able to sit in seats with plenty of room for his legs.

"Speaking of," Rey continued as soon as they got settled, "do you have a roommate? Were they already living there? Maybe I know them."

"Yeah," said Ben. "He goes by Porkins."

Rey wrinkled up her nose adorably, thinking hard. Ben kept going with descriptors to help her out.

"He's a bigger guy, full neck beard, wears gamer tshirts…"

Rey's eyes opened wide. "Ohhh! I've seen him sometimes! I've never spoken to him. I don't think he emerges much."

"No, he definitely doesn't," said Ben. "He works from home. Well, works? Plays video games? Honestly, I don't know what he does. I suppose he must make money somehow."

"I've totally wondered what he does, actually," said Rey. "It's not like he's ever dressed for any kind of job. Total basement dweller, that one. Well, not a basement, I guess."

"The basement dweller of the seventh floor," said Ben in a foreboding tone. It wasn't funny, but Rey laughed uproariously. He'd gladly spend another $1000 just to have a way to make Rey laugh that way again. Feeling extra bold, he leaned into Rey and whispered conspiratorially.

"He told me not to look at his computer."

"What?" Rey exclaimed, delighted. "What a weird thing to say to someone. I wonder what he's got on there?"

"Do we even want to know?"

"Oh, I do," said Rey. "Definitely some next level weird porn right? That's a guy with some creepy fetishes for sure."

"He did tell me not to bring drugs, because he didn't want 'the fuzz to come sniffing around,'" said Ben, using his fingers as quotation marks as he spoke.

"Oh my gosh, this keeps getting better," said Rey. "The fuzz. I mean, who even says that? And now we definitely know he's got some kind of illegal stuff going on. Don't use his wifi, or the fuzz might think you're the one selling knockoff Lord of the Rings props on the dark web."

"Or trafficking illegal geckos from South America," said Ben, surprising himself.

"Booking bogus 'Haunted Homes of Coruscant' tours."

"Running an unaccredited underground for-profit online college."

"Yes! Porkins University, now accepting tuition in coin!"

Ben couldn't believe he was thinking this, but he would gladly sit for hours on this bus, as he and Rey continued coming up with ideas of what Porkins did, each idea getting more and more ridiculous. She was so easy to talk to, and constantly put him at ease. All too soon, they pulled up to Solo Tire and Ben prepared to face another day in the guts of people's cars.

Rey unlocked and opened the garage. She got right to work, searched around for the right keys, and used them to bring in a Subaru from the adjacent lot. After she popped the hood, she explained exactly what they were going to do, and gave Ben a quick overview of the steps involved. Ben tried to listen as carefully as he could, needing something to report back to his dad on Friday.

Almost as though she could read his thoughts, Rey asked, "any fun plans for July Fourth?"

"I have plans, but they're not fun," said Ben. "I'll be with my parents."

Her eyes flashed angrily, and he immediately regretted his words, remembering what she had told him the day before.

"What I mean is that I won't just be with my parents," he amended hastily. "They have this big party every year with all of their friends. I haven't been to one of them in about ten years, but I remember a lot of people asking me all kinds of embarrassing questions. I imagine this year will be much of the same, except instead of 'do you have a girlfriend?' it will be 'why aren't you married yet?'"

"Hmmm," hummed Rey, who seemed to have relaxed a bit. "I've heard of these interrogations. I guess that's one advantage of no family. No one cares if I'm single or not."

Ben choked a bit, but thankfully Rey had tucked herself back under the hood and missed his face flushing. She tinkered around for a few minutes and then showed Ben what she was doing.

"Here," she said, handing him her wrench. "You tighten these bolts, and then I'll show you where we dispose of the old parts."

After a while of silence as they worked, Rey piped back in.

"Wait," she said, "your parents live here? I thought you were new to the area?"

"I am," replied Ben. "I grew up here in another part of town, but I haven't lived in Coruscant since I left for college twelve years ago. My parents encouraged me to come back home when I lost my job."

"You went to college? Where?"

"Way up north."

"What school?"

"Oh, you've probably never heard of it."

She definitely had. Before she could ask more questions, he turned the tables on her.

"What about you? Any plans for Friday?"

"I plan to stay at home with the drapes drawn, dressed in black, mourning the loss of the colonies as I listen to 'God Save the Queen' on repeat."

He looked over to see her wearing a completely serious expression. After a minute of staring at each other, her nose crinkled up, and she giggled.

"Nah, I suppose I've lived here long enough to celebrate America's independence. I've got some plans with Finn. I think we're going to risk the holiday crowds at the beach. This summer is just flying by, and I've barely gotten out there."

Ben nodded, trying hard not to think too much about the idea of a bikini-clad Rey snuggling up to Finn on a shared beach towel. Desperate to change the topic, he pointed at the first thing he spotted under the hood.

"What is that part?" he asked.

Her eyes followed his hand and flicked right back up to Ben.

"The washer fluid reservoir?"

"Yeah, what does it do?"

"You pour windshield wiper fluid into it." Rey looked up at Ben with an incredulous expression, and he felt for a second like diving under the car.

"Oh, right," said Ben, looking anywhere but Rey's face. "It just looked different than ones I've seen before."

"They're pretty standard," she said. "Haven't you ever…" Her voice drifted off for a moment. "Never mind," she said. "It's good for you to see. We top off all fluids when we change someone's oil. Let me show you where we keep the wiper fluid and then you can fill it up all by yourself. A college grad like yourself might even manage to master it on the first try."

She winked up at him, and for the first time, Ben didn't mind being teased.

A little before store opening, Ben waited until Rey was engrossed in filling out paperwork before slipping outside. He pulled a fifty-dollar bill out of his pocket and wedged it safely in a gutter space near their parking lot. He watched for a second to make sure it was secure enough to not blow away before heading back into the garage.

"Hey Rey," he called out. "Should we drive these cars back to the lot before we open?"

"Sure," she said, following him. They each took a car and pulled around, parking next to each other.

When they got out of their cars and locked up, Ben casually remarked, "what's that there by your foot?"

She automatically looked down and gasped. She bent right over and picked up the fifty, waving it back and forth like a flag.

"Woohoo! Look at THIS! Ren, it's your lucky day!"

"What?" cried Ben, startled. "Oh no, you found it. It's yours."

"But you're the one who spotted it first! Finders keepers! That's, like, law."

"Rey, I could never take it from someone who has already bought me dinner AND taught me everything she knows."

"You think I've taught you everything I know? Oh how you underestimate me!"

Ben went to protest further but was distracted by her face suddenly changing, as though seized by a thought.

"I know!" She snapped her fingers as she said it. "I'll give it to Finn. He's been wanting to ask out this other waitress at Chili's. Maybe having some extra cash for a nice date will give him the push he needs to finally do it."

Ben was so relieved to hear that Finn and Rey were apparently not dating that he didn't even care that his plan to give cash to Rey was a flop. On top of his secret joy, he was once again astounded at her generosity. Not once had she thought of just keeping the cash. It would be tougher than Ben thought to pay back last night's dinner. She just gave and gave.

The morning was as busy as the day before, and once again, Ben spent most of his time in the store front, dealing with customers and coordinating repairs. Even after one day, he was starting to understand how the garage's system worked. At one point near lunchtime, the owner of one of the cars they had worked on that morning came in to pick it up.

Ben gathered together his paperwork and keys and told the man he would grab Rey to have her explain a couple things to him. Before he went to get her though, he leaned in and furtively held out a twenty-dollar bill without really looking at the man's face. He gathered his courage and made his odd request.

"Hey, I know this is a weird thing to ask, but could you give this to Rey as a tip? But don't tell her it's from me. I'm trying to pay her back for something and she keeps refusing." He'd much rather give her fifty, but twenty was a much more believable tip, and it just covered their meal.

The man nodded. "Yeah, sure, no problem." He took the bill and Ben, feeling triumphant, went to get Rey.

Later in the afternoon, the garage's work slowed down a bit. Ben was sitting on a stool waiting for new customers to pull up. Nearby, Finn was lazily draining a car's oil, and Rey was leaning against a pole next to him chatting lightly. They were just close enough to Ben for him to overhear. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but his ears perked up when he heard what they were talking about.

"So this guy tried to give me a tip today."

"What else is new?" replied Finn.

"I know, and I just told him what I always say, that it's our policy not to accept tips, but I encouraged him to give it to someone in need instead. But he kept insisting."

"So what did you say?"

"Well, after a while of back and forth, he goes 'if you won't take the cash directly, at least let me put it towards buying you dinner.'"

"Oh damn, that's smooth!"

"I know. It totally was."

"So did you accept?"

"Yeah, why not? He was really cute and nice."

Ben felt his fists clench up, and he attempted to steel himself into a neutral expression, even pulling out his phone and fake scrolling so he wouldn't be caught listening. How did he not notice that the man he picked to tip Rey was apparently young and attractive? This was what he got for lacking the basic human ability to look a stranger in the eye.

"Do you know when you're going out yet?"

"Thursday night, before he goes out of town on Friday."

"What's his name?"

"Poe." There was a brief pause where Finn must have made an expression because Rey started giggling. "I know, right? It's weird. And c'mon, I'm British. I can only think of the red Teletubby. I had to try so hard not to laugh when he told me." Ben could hear Finn laughing too.

"Name aside, that's great, Rey. Now I just need to ask Rose out so I don't die alone while you're surrounded by dozens of little grand-Tubbies."

Ben couldn't handle it anymore. He walked out of the garage to get some air. It was just his luck this week. He couldn't believe that somehow he had managed to unwittingly finance two other men's dates, including one with Rey. He tried to control his breathing carefully and avoid a meltdown in his new work environment, but the desire to grab a tool and fling it at the wall was nearly overwhelming.

After a few minutes, he felt a hand gently cup his arm.

"Hey," said Rey's voice. "Everything okay?"

Ben looked down at her. Her eyes were sparkling in the sunlight. He felt a lump in his throat and could only nod in response.

"We have a lifted truck in the bay that needs a rotation. The tires are a little heavy for me to handle alone. But something tells me you won't have that problem." She squeezed and rubbed his bicep playfully, and Ben gulped. "If I walk you through the process, will you give me a hand?"

He nodded again, and watched her eyes shine as she smiled back. She tilted her head in the direction of the truck and gave his arm a gentle tug. As he followed her obediently, he thought that maybe his day wasn't going so badly after all.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, you ready to go?" Ben called out to Rey as he made his way toward her, happy to have survived another day of his new job. The other mechanics, even Teedo, had been mostly supportive and helpful throughout the day, and Ben found that he didn't dread being out working with the cars as much he thought he would. He wondered if Rey had had some words with everyone on his behalf. It was pretty clear after only two days that Rey wielded quite a bit of influence in the garage. Even though Plutt was the owner/manager, Rey was the de facto leader, floating around from station to station and keeping things running smoothly like she was born to do it. People came to the garage seeking her out, and she somehow made the time to fill every personal request.

Ben was a bit embarrassed at the idea that Rey might have interceded with the guys. It was like when his mom would call the other parents from his school and tell them their kids were picking on her son. Even worse was when she came right to the playground and told off the kids herself. But this was different. Ben would be dishonest if he didn't admit that he kind of liked the idea of Rey speaking up in his favor. If it had happened at all, that is.

Now the store was closed for the evening and almost everyone had left. Ben had finished at register by himself, having picked the process right up when he did it with Teedo the day before. Money he understood. He liked the steps of organizing the receipts, counting the cash, and sorting the paperwork. It was soothing and orderly. Let the other guys sweep up the garage floor, dispose of dirty oil and tires, and tidy up the tools. For a few minutes of the day, he could pretend he was on his own computer at corporate, running numbers and enjoying a minute of time undisturbed. Furthermore, he had gathered vey quickly that the other guys were more than happy to leave all register duties to Ben.

With his tasks neatly completed, Ben looked forward to his time alone with Rey. He wondered what his colleagues back at First Order would have thought of the idea of being excited to ride on a bus. The executives at FO took the absolute cake for snobbery, and Ben had been raised among snobs.

As he approached Rey, though, he saw her on the garage phone, scowling and twisting the cord in her finger. She didn't seem to notice him as she stared angrily at the floor. So quiet he almost couldn't hear, she mumbled out a few "okays" and "yep, got its," and finally hung up without saying goodbye. When she eventually looked up, she caught Ben's eye and immediately morphed her expression.

"Hey!" she said brightly. "Should we get going?"

Without waiting for a response, Rey took off toward the exit, Ben following awkwardly behind her, and shut the final open garage door. She checked all the locks and then stalked off towards the bus stop.

"Hey," Ben called out, catching up her easily despite her quick stride. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Oh, just Plutt," she replied with a huff. "It's always something."

"What…"

"Just don't worry about," Rey cut in hastily. "It's nothing that concerns you. You're doing great."

Ben wanted to push more, but had no idea what to say. They stood in silence for a moment, and then Ben watched as Rey unsnapped the front of her jumpsuit, revealing a white tank top, and tied the sleeves around her waist. Ben's eyes lingered for a moment before he forced them up and away from her body.

Rey noticed him watching, and said, "It is just too hot right now to wear that stupid thing. I made a push a couple years ago for short-sleeved, but I guess it's Solo Tire policy to wear long-sleeved year-round. You'd think for a company based out of Florida, they'd have a bit more empathy but what do the bigwigs know, I guess. Probably most of those people at corporate have never spent one day in a garage."

Ben shifted on his feet and forced out a bit of a chuckle.

"Maybe that should be mandatory training for everyone at corporate," he said dryly. "Put in work in a garage."

Rey clapped her hands excitedly. "Yes! Oh man, we'd have short sleeves tomorrow."

"Maybe they have a reason?" said Ben. "Safety concerns? Like protecting from burns or whatever?"

"Yeah, yeah, I suppose," said Rey, waving her hand impatiently. "But what about the safety of me dropping tools all over the place because my hands are so sweaty? Or dying from heat stroke!" She paused. "Speaking of, aren't you hot? At least the garage is in the shade, but I'm dying here in this sun."

She eyed him expectantly, her gaze focused in on his chest. In response, he reached up and fumbled with his snaps, carefully sliding his sleeves down his arms and tying them around his waist. He was very aware of her eyes on his tight white t-shirt, slightly damp with sweat from the work and heat. Finally freed from the heavy blue fabric, he used his shirt to wipe a bit of sweat from his forehead. He smoothed his shirt down and looked back at Rey, whose face looked like it had been frozen in stone. For a moment, neither of them moved. Ben felt like he had suddenly forgotten to breathe. Finally, Rey's eyes slowly made their way up Ben's chest and met his own.

"There," she said. "Isn't that better?"

Ben's thoughts were jumbled as he struggled to come up with a response. The obvious answer was "yes," or maybe a "yeah, good tip, thanks," but he just stood gaping at her. Speak, dummy, his brain begged, and finally he blurted out, "I see the bus coming."

Rey turned heavily towards the road and squinted as she peered out in the distance.

"You're right," she said. "And not a moment too soon! So glad it's air-conditioned. Although, be prepared, because it breaks like once a week. It always seems to happen on the days where the bus is the most crowded, too." She gave Ben a look and shuddered.

"Say," she continued, "Have you bought your month pass? It will save you a bit in the end if you take this everyday."

"Oh, yeah, um, I think at this point I'll just bother with it next month," he replied, shrugging mindlessly.

"Ren, it's July 1."

"Oh, right."

She chatted lightly about the closest place from their apartment complex to get a pass as the two of them boarded. Ben sighed when he saw that the bus was more packed than he had seen it before. He held out a hand to offer the only open seat to Rey, and then grabbed onto a hanging leather loop that he could only assume was for standing room. It was incredibly awkward, and he had to simultaneously bend his neck to avoid smacking his head and hold his hand up above him in the handle. The bus started moving and he stumbled a bit before finding his footing again and grasped the handle tightly. Rey looked up at him and smiled apologetically.

"You sure you don't want to sit?" she called out to him. Embarrassed, he shook his head and strengthened his foothold. For the next few blocks, he gritted his teeth as the bus shook him around, and he shifted his large body to let people past him. He was too far from Rey to talk to her without the entire bus listening in. For a moment, he allowed himself to think about the smooth, cool leather of the backseat of his car, driven by someone whose singular purpose was to take him where he needed to go.

After a few painful minutes, the lady sitting by the window next to Rey motioned at her and Rey let her out. Rey slid in one seat and Ben gratefully plunked down beside her, not even caring that he smacked his knees on the seat in front of him in the process.

"Thanks for letting me have the seat," said Rey. "Sorry you got stuck up there. That's never fun."

"It was no problem," he replied. (It was.) He returned to an earlier topic and gestured at Rey's outfit. "You know, I'm surprised they even make these jumpsuits small enough for you."

"I'm not the only female mechanic you know," she said, smiling and shaking her head softly. "And wait, jumpsuits? Ugh, please don't call them that! We're not in prison, at least, not officially." She snorted. "They're coveralls."

"Ok," he said, a little flustered. He changed the subject again. "Any more exciting Netflix plans tonight?"

"Nah, I think I've got to hit the laundromat tonight," she replied, wrinkling her nose. "These jumpsuits don't wash themselves, you know."

"Heh heh," he said in a flat tone. She smirked.

"What about you?" she asked.

"Well, I usually go to the gym on the weeknights," he said. "I have an old friend I'm planning to meet up with, someone I went to high school with."

"Oh you're one of those people," said Rey significantly.

"What people?"

"The kind that go to the gym and exercise so they'll 'live longer,'" she said, her fingers pulling quotation marks and her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"And that's bad because…"

"Obviously because it makes the rest of us look bad!"

"You know," said Ben thoughtfully. "Some might say you get a lot of exercise, lugging around tires and car parts all day."

"Don't group me in with you heathens!" Rey cried, poking him in the chest. Eventually, she pulled away. "All right, all right, I'm kidding. Good for you, I suppose. Where's your gym?"

"Oh, um, a number of blocks from home."

Yeah, about 100.

"I see," said Rey, nodding. "Well, if I ever decide to try this whole healthy-lifestyle thing, I'll check it out."

Ben felt himself break into a smile, the goofy kind he didn't like many people to see. She gave him a little shove.

"Here's our stop," she said, gesturing out. They walked off the bus and to Rey's apartment. Before she let herself in the door, she turned to Ben.

"All right, Rocky, don't hurt yourself," she said. "If you're back by this evening and you have some laundry to do, I'll be at Bespin Laundry, right around the corner on 5th."

Ben nodded and took off to meet Mitaka.

Ben and Armie Hux went back as far as 2001, when they figured out they were the only kids in the eighth grade who shared the special experience of seeing The Fellowship of the Ring more than once, and reading the book at all. They had been each other's saving graces through five brutal years at a snooty prep school as tall and gangly nerds with no female attention. Thankfully, time had been kind to both, and Ben was currently helping Hux add weights to his barbell. They had renewed their long-dormant friendship when Ben looked him up upon his return to Coruscant a couple months earlier. Hux (no longer Armie) had stayed in town after high school, attending Coruscant University for both undergrad and law school, eventually joining his father's and grandfather's firm.

"So let me get this straight," said Hux, between reps. "You're working as a mechanic for the next six months?" He grabbed the barbell again as Ben watched carefully.

"That's the gist," said Ben, shaking his head wearily. "Technically I'm an entry-level 'tire technician,' so I'm not even mechanic status."

"Typical Han," said Hux, dropping the barbell heavily and clearing the space for Ben to take over. "I can't even say I'm surprised. He's finally getting your hands dirty. Look at him molding you into the son he needs to take over the brand."

"Like you're one to talk."

"Touché," replied Hux airily. "But hold up. Yesterday you almost definitely verified you were with a girl. Who's that?"

"Oh, one of the mechanics at the garage is a woman," said Ben, after setting the proper weights on the barbell and standing up. He kept his gaze steadily on the equipment. "She was just showing me the ropes, and we grabbed a bite to eat after."

"She cute?"

"I guess." Ben feigned extreme focus on his task and picked up the weight, careful of his form.

"Right." Hux snickered. "You gonna hit that?"

Ben almost dropped the bar he was holding but managed to save his arms, feet, and back at the last minute. He turned to Hux.

"She doesn't even know my real name."

"You could probably change that," said Hux. "I know your dad is asking for you to be anonymous, but c'mon, it's Han. I'm sure he'd change his tune immediately if there was a chance you could bang a girl out of his whole situation."

"I'm not looking to bang anyone," said Ben, getting angry. "Besides, she's only being nice to clueless newbie Ren, who needs a leg up in his pitiful, pathetic state. I have no reason to think she wouldn't spit in my face if she found out who I was."

"So what's your plan?"

"There is no plan," said Ben. "I don't know what you're talking about." Just then his phone went off with a text from Mitaka.

 **I've got your laundry and I'm waiting outside when you're ready.**

Ben stuffed his phone back in his pocket and looked over at Hux.

"Well, good session, man, but I've got to run. Work stuff, you understand."

"I didn't know tire technicians took their work home with them."

"Right, but I'm, um, doing reports for the board as I go. Gotta get it in."

"Ah," said Hux. "Well, just as well. With all these hours I have to put in at work, Gwen gets a little feisty when I linger too long here."

"Tell her I say hi."

"Will do."

Ben hurried out to his car, and Mitaka took off back towards Coruscant Hills.

"Sir, most of your clothes were clean, but I rumpled a few items to make it look a little dirtier. Plus I have your work uniforms too." He indicated at the front seat with his right hand.

"Thanks, Mitaka. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Mitaka hmphed in response, and Ben cringed. The rest of the ride passed by in silence. Once they found the laundromat, Ben looked around the parking lot and then grabbed the basket of clothes and laundry detergent from the front seat. He walked in and scanned the room quickly.

"Ren!" He turned when he heard Rey's voice call out. "You came! Guess you didn't want dirty jumpsuits, eh?"

"That's right," said Ben, as she laughed. "You been here long?"

She made an embarrassed face. "Yeah, um, actually my stuff's already in the dryer. I headed right over after eating my dinner. Doesn't take too long to eat a Lean Cuisine, I guess." She eyed him up and down in his gray basketball shorts and black muscle tee. "How was the gym?"

"Actually really good. I broke my deadlift record."

"I don't know what that means," said Rey. "But I'll surmise that you're strong."

Ben paused, unable to think of a response.

"Here," said Rey. "While my stuff is finishing up, let me help you start the machines."

Ben followed her over to the washers. Immediately, he felt his neck flush red. On each machine were four slots for quarters. He hadn't even thought about quarters. It was incredibly stupid of him, a man with two degrees from Harvard.

"Is there, um, anywhere to break bigger bills?" asked Ben.

Rey pointed at a machine near them. Of course, there was a big "Out of Order" sign slapped on the front.

"Oh," said Ben. "I guess I need to step out and get…"

"No way," said Rey. "I've got plenty of quarters. I collect them for laundry any time I break a bill. Plus I just got a couple rolls from the bank. It's fine. You barely have any clothes to wash, like one load. Oh, and I usually wash my coveralls by themselves so I don't get grease on my other stuff. So that's only two loads. I can spot you."

Ben stuttered and reached for her to stop her, but she spun out of his grasp and slipped a few quarters into two machines, popping one foot and leaning in like she was in a ballet, her butt prominently facing him in her cutoff jean shorts. He was horrified that he had somehow managed to have her pay for him yet again, but the view wasn't bad.

"Got it," she said. "You can get the machines next time, k? Now just put in your detergent here before you start your cycle. I usually just set it to normal."

She jumped up on the machine next to Ben and watched as he filled two washing machine drums and turned them on. They chatted for a few minutes as they washed his machines fill with suds and start to spin. Ben told her about Hux, and how they had lost touch after high school, Ben only really seeing him once in the past few years, at Hux's wedding.

"Is it ever weird he's married and you're not?" she asked. "I keep encouraging Finn to date more, but if I'm totally honest, I kind of worry about when he gets serious with a girl and I'm just left alone."

"You're not alone," said Ben firmly, something compelling him to say it without thinking. She looked right at him, her eyes a little misty.

"Well, neither are you," she replied softly. A distant buzzing sound went off, and Rey broke their gaze. She hopped off her machine.

"I think that's me," she said. "And I'm sorry, but I really need to get it home. There're some things that need to be hung up while they're still warm. It was nice chatting, Ren."

"Let me walk you home," said Ben. They gathered up her laundry and he took the basket for her. After he dropped her off and returned to the laundromat, he grimaced when he saw the time left on his washing machine. He found a chair, and unlocked his phone, prepping for a long evening finishing his laundry.

The next morning, Rey wasn't on the bus. By the time he realized she'd miss it, Mitaka had already driven off and Ben didn't want to call him back, embarrassed enough with all of his silly demands. Thankfully, this morning he had a seat. He spent the bus ride wondering if she was okay and wishing he had her number so he could check on her.

The garage opened for the day and there was still no Rey. After a few minutes, Ben casually asked Finn if she was working that day.

"She should be," said Finn. "It's odd for her to be late. I should give her a call."

Just then, Rey came running in, her hair sloppy and her eyes darting around nervously.

"Hey guys," she said in a rush. "I'm so sorry I'm late. I don't know how I slept through my alarm. Is Plutt here?" She looked back towards his office.

"No, you're in luck," said Finn.

"I feel so out of sorts," said Rey. "Like, I didn't have time to grab breakfast, or pack a lunch."

"You can share mine," said Ben, piping in. Mitaka had been sending him with bagged lunches with far too much food.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Rey. "I can't take food from you. You're a growing boy." She emphasized the words with two pats on his chest. "I'll just have to slip out and get something when it's lunchtime. In the meantime, did anyone put the coffee on? I could really use some."

Ben and Finn didn't respond. Her voice raised a few levels and she called out into the garage. "Anyone? Anyone start the coffee? Are the customers just sitting by an empty pot?"

All the guys shrugged and Rey stomped off to the storefront, muttering about everyone expecting the woman to do everything.

Ben looked at Finn guiltily. "I don't know how to turn that thing on. I'm certain I'd ruin it and poison everyone here."

Finn laughed. "Hey I've been here five years and I don't know either. I guess Rey has a point!"

Later that morning, Ben was standing by the register when Rey came to get a customer and give him back his keys. She found him and brought him up to Ben.

"Ring him up as $0," she told Ben softly.

"Oh, that's not necessary," said the man. "You really helped me out. I should pay…"

"Nonsense," said Rey. "I basically tightened a couple screws and it took the clinking right away. It's no problem."

"Well, thank you! That's really kind of you," said the man. Ben filled out his receipt, and the man took it happily, shook Rey's hand, and left the store. Ben turned to Rey.

"Do you often just not charge people for your work?" he asked.

"Not a lot, but when the job is simple enough, I do."

"The company probably wouldn't like the idea of you giving away services," he said, frowning slightly.

"I think the company likes the idea of happy, satisfied customers."

"But…"

"I think I'm right here," said Rey firmly. "Do you want to call up Han Solo and ask him yourself? No? There are literally dozens of Yelp and Google reviews that mention me by name. Do you know how much those reviews are worth in this industry? You saw that man and his car. He's got money. You think he lives here in this part of town? No, people come to this garage because they know they can get good, honest service. And do you know how much those reviews mean to me? Do you know how hard it is to gain respect as a woman in this field? But people hear good things, and they trust me before they even see my face."

Ben was taken aback. Her defensive words startled him a bit and he knew he looked chagrined.

"I'm sorry for questioning you," he said. "Obviously, you know more than I. I've just spent so many years working directly with money. I haven't had a lot of face to face customer interaction."

"It's okay," said Rey. "It's part of the job. You'll learn. But anyway, I've got another car coming in. I'll talk to you later."

She left and Ben sat thinking about her words. The interaction gave him an idea, and he pulled out his phone to text Mitaka.

Around noon, he was in the back helping a mechanic named Snap adjust an axel (meaning Ben was holding stuff steady and handing off tools while Snap did it), when Finn practically ran into the garage.

"Hey everyone! There's pizza for everyone in the break room. It just got delivered for the whole crew."

Snap looked at Ben and Ben attempted a surprised face in return. They finished their task, wiped their hands, and walked into the break room where there were a few boxes of pizza and bottles of pop on the table.

"Wow," said Snap. "This stuff isn't cheap. I've heard about this place. It's supposed to be pretty good."

Rey came bounding in and grabbed a note off the top of one of the boxes.

"'To Rey and the crew at Solo Tire – Thanks for all the help this morning. You truly went above and beyond,'" she read. "Wow, this is awesome!" A couple of the guys grabbed plates and headed to the pizzas. "No!" she cried. "We have to say a few words first. Show some respect! " Ben saw some guys roll their eyes, but it was mostly with fondness. She put her hand on her heart and lifted her face heavenward. "Oh, random loaded guy. You have supplied us with this meal, and we are eternally grateful. We may never know your name, but we will hold you in our hearts forever. Amen."

"Amen," everyone mumbled back, and then reached for the food hungrily.

"Rey gets first pick!" yelled Finn. She smiled gratefully and filled her plate with a couple slices. The crew ate and chatted, enjoying a few moments out of the garage.

Eventually, Rey made her way over to where Ben was sitting, nibbling at a slice of the garden pizza.

"This is pretty neat, huh?" said Rey. Ben nodded in assent. She looked a bit smug. "See? What did I tell ya? Happy customers."

Ben smiled at her. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You definitely know how to make people happy."

She looked a little sheepish, and gave a tiny, pleased smile.

"Hey, I'm sorry I missed the bus this morning," she said.

"It's cool."

"No, I was thinking. Between mostly missing each other at the laundromat last night and missing the bus this morning, I really should have your number. You know, just in case. Or whatever."

Ben dropped his pizza onto his plate and wiped his hands hastily. He grabbed out his phone and opened to his contacts. She read off her number.

"Now send me a text so I'll have yours," she said. "Well, I've got get back to it. Come back to the garage and work with me if you have a chance."

She slipped off, and Ben stared down at his new contact. It was enough to make him forget she had a date tomorrow, forget that she had no idea who he really was. He opened a text and typed, " **Hey this is Ren.** " Then he switched contacts and sent a message to Mitaka.

 **Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5

Ben stared down his newest mechanical nemesis like a knight facing his jousting opponent. Over the past few days, he had begun to master basic oil changes and tire rotations, but this felt like his greatest challenge yet. The machine before him mocked him in its simplicity, carefully designed so that any old Joe Schmo could handle the process. Ben looked around nervously, wondering if anyone was watching him fail at yet another task.

"Mr. Coffee you are a cruel bastard," he muttered to the offending appliance sitting peacefully in the shop's waiting room, blissfully unaware that it was mere seconds from being smashed into pieces.

Ben sighed and thought about the conversation that had led him to this situation. Earlier that morning, Rey had thankfully gotten up on time and caught the bus with Ben.

"With tomorrow being a holiday," she had told him, "it's one of the busier days we'll see. I don't know why people can't get their oil changed sooner than a half hour before they're supposed to take off, but apparently they can't. So we try to get people through as quickly as we can, and I'm sure we'll need you to really chip in. Don't hesitate to reach out for me to help you, though. I'll see what I can do."

"I'm sure you'll be super busy, though," said Ben. "You really take so much responsibility." He thought of the previous morning and was struck with inspiration. "You know what, let me deal with the coffee today."

Her eyes grew wide. "No one's ever offered to do that before," she said. "I know it's stupid, and it only takes me a couple minutes, but it's just the principle of the thing, you know? Like everyone just expects me to do it, and just expects there to be coffee, and never thinks about the fact that someone had to turn on the machine for it to happen."

Ben thought about the many times he had shown up at work both at First Order and Solo Tire to find a fresh cup of coffee sitting on his desk. Had he ever properly thanked the person who got it for him? And sure, he had demanded it many times from many people, but once his request was fulfilled, did he care? In fact, Mitaka had handed him a cup when he got in his car just that morning. Ben scrounged around in his brain, trying to remember if he had even acknowledged it verbally, or just took it from him like a zombie.

"Well that's just wrong," responded Ben emphatically. "Just tell me what I need to do and I'll take it on."

She smiled at him gratefully and quickly rattled off a summary of where the items he needed were stored, and how to turn on the machine.

As Ben continued to stare at the coffee pot, he remembered how many times she had interjected the words "it's really easy" into her little speech. He glanced up nervously at the clock. It was eighteen minutes until opening, and it seemed like everyone was out hanging out in the garage. He looked back down at his task. The coffee maker was a basic drip style and was definitely ancient. He had never used one of these in his life. Growing up, he had hated the smell of his parents' coffee, and only started drinking it in college from the local coffee shop when exams had him staying up all night to study.

He pulled out his phone, opened up his maps app, and typed "coffee." He used his fingers to zoom into their city block and scrolled up and down. The street was mostly lined with other automotive shops and a few other random stores and restaurants. At the end of the road, a red dot indicated that a place had coffee. Ben clicked on it.

"Wait," he muttered to himself. "McDonald's sells coffee?"

It would only take him a couple minutes to walk there if he hurried. He looked around to make sure the coast was clear, and then slipped out, taking off quickly in the direction of the restaurant. To his relief, there was no line once he got there. He walked in slowly as he tried to take in the large illuminated menu above him. He couldn't remember the last time he had been in a McDonald's, maybe when he was a kid.

"Can I help you?" The cashier's booming voice made him jump a little.

"Um, can I buy a whole pot of coffee?"

There was a pause, and Ben deliberately kept his eyes on the menu.

"Uhh, sir, we don't do that," she replied in a bemused tone. "You can see what we offer above, small, medium, or large cups. It comes in many varieties…"

"K, fine," interrupted Ben. He thought about the coffee machine he had been staring at. He was sure it said "12 cup" on the front. "Can I have 12 cups of black coffee, all large? And I'm in a bit of a hurry."

"Let me check real quick if we have enough for that right now," she said. Ben anxiously looked at the time on his watch. A moment later, she returned.

"You're in luck," the cashier said. "I can get those cups for you right now."

He stuck his card in the credit card reader without really listening to her rattle off the amount.

"You know," she said cheerfully. "If you download the app, you can get cups for free since you're buying so many."

Ben held up a hand. "That's ok, I'm fine, but like I said, I'm really in a hurry."

He paced nervously as he waited. Eventually they brought him a large bag with the coffees neatly stacked inside. He made an effort to look the employee right in the eye and thank her. As fast as he could go without disturbing the coffees, he made his way back to the shop. A glance at his watch showed him it was 3 minutes until opening, which meant the front door was still locked. He hadn't thought of that.

Carefully, he set the bag in an inconspicuous place outside of the shop and waltzed into the garage like there was no problem. No one seemed to take him in as he walked through the bay and back into the storefront. He saw Plutt go and unlock the front door for customers. As soon as Plutt disappeared back into his office, Ben sneaked outside, grabbed the bag, and brought it back in. He took the pot from the coffee maker and hid between two rows of tires for sale. Carefully, he poured in as many cups as he could fit in the pot. He stored the remaining cups behind a tire and then returned the pot to the machine, setting it on "warm."

Satisfied with his work, he went to sit near the register and assist the customers that he could already see pulling into the parking lot. Later, after the initial rush of repairs died down, Rey came in and walked over to the coffee maker. Ben watched as she poured herself a small Styrofoam cup and added creamer and sugar. She sipped slowly as she came to where Ben was leaning against the register table.

"Wow, Ren," she said. "Thanks for making this. It's really good!"

"You're welcome," Ben replied. He tried to think of something to say that would get her talking about anything else, but she kept going.

"No, really, something is different about this. What did you do?"

"Oh, um," Ben sputtered. "Just a trick my mom taught me." That was the truth. Buying pre-made food was a Leia Organa-Solo specialty.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

Ben held up one finger and waggled it slightly. "A master never reveals his secrets."

Rey giggled and then opened the door to the garage.

"Hey guys!" she called out. "Ren made coffee! And it's good too! Sure is nice to have someone else step up to the plate for once!"

"Anything would be better than that black tar you make," a voice retorted from the garage.

Rey rolled her eyes. "I've never seen you try to make anything better!" she yelled back out.

The lull in the garage allowed the guys to file into the storefront and head to the coffee maker. Ben watched in horror as they drained the pot cup by cup.

"Rey's not allowed anywhere near the coffee anymore," said Snap, in between sips.

"Works for me!" Rey called back to him. Her voice lowered. "All right, Ren, I usually refill the pot around lunchtime for the afternoon customers. Just be sure to keep an eye on it, k?"

Ben nodded grimly. He was saved by the front door ringing, indicating more business. The men drained their cups and tossed them as they approached the customers and headed back into the garage.

"Hey Ren." He heard Rey speak softly to him. He looked down to see her still standing by his side. She touched his arm. "Thank you. This really means a lot."

"You're welcome," whispered Ben. Her eyes met his and his breath stilled. The bell chimed again, and as if nothing had happened, she turned and smiled brightly at a new customer who was walking in. As soon as she followed the customer out to the parking lot, Ben took the pot back to his hiding spot and poured the rest of the coffee in.

As Rey predicted, the day got crazier as more last minute road trip customers came in. He had never been asked, "How long is the wait" so many times. As politely as he could, he assured everyone who came that they would get to their cars as soon as possible. He knew it was time for him to help out in the back. As soon as he walked out, Teedo asked him to finish an oil change he was working on. Ben readily agreed, and marveled at how much more confident he felt compared to just four days before.

The car was a dirty one, and almost immediately, Ben's hands got streaked with black grease and dirt. The garage was burning hot even with all the fans on full blast, and Ben could already feel sweat forming on his brow. The humidity was making his carefully styled hair fall forward onto his forehead, blocking his vision. As much as he was able, he used his shoulder and upper arm to brush his hair out of the way. It was awkward, but his hands were filthy and his cleaning rag was worse.

"Hey," Rey said, walking up to him. "Need some help?"

"Actually," said Ben. "Believe it or not, I think I've got this one."

"No," said Rey. "I mean with your hair."

Before he could respond, her fingers reached in and started pulling his strands away from his eyes. He was embarrassed by the sweat that had pooled and drenched his hair, but her hands didn't waver and she stroked and combed through with her fingers. He quickly forgot about his dirty state and focused only on the soothing, repetitive motions.

"You have such nice, thick, pretty black hair," she said. "Does it come from one of your parents?"

"Nope," replied Ben. "Both of my parents have brown hair. But my mom is adopted and my dad never knew his dad, so maybe my hair came from one of them."

Rey hummed in response. Ben felt her tug his hair as she started to braid some pieces back. His legs were beginning to ache from holding the crouching position she had found him in, but he would stay there all day with her hands in his hair if he could.

"Where did you learn to do this?" he asked.

"I lived in a group home for years. You do a lot of people's hair."

She twisted his hair for another minute and then secured the bottom with a ponytail holder she pulled from her pocket. She patted the braid and stroked the loose hair in the back.

"There," she said. "I'd hate to think of this hair being marred by grease and oil."

Ben stood up painfully to thank her but she had already vanished. He caught his reflection in the side of the car and looked at her work. She had braided back one section in the front, enough to keep his hair from his eyes. As he turned his head he realized the hairstyle exposed one of his large ears. Frantically, he wondered if she had noticed and what she had thought. He always took such pains to keep them covered. But he had to admit that the braid would make working easier. He crouched back down and finished his job.

When he walked back inside to check out the owner of the car, he peeked at the coffee pot. It was nearing empty. Once his customer had left, he pulled out his phone to text Mitaka.

Can you come to the garage and bring 12 cups of McDonalds black coffee? Don't let anyone see.

Ben wondered if this was going to be it for Mitaka, if this was the time when he would tell Ben where to shove it. But not thirty seconds later, Ben's phone buzzed with a response.

 _I'm on it._

Ben was helping Finn in the garage when he felt his phone buzzing. Once he and Finn had closed the hood, he mumbled that he was going to take his break. He cleaned his hands and went outside to find Mitaka, spotting him parked across the street. Mitaka obediently handed him the coffees.

"Before you go," said Ben. "Can you take this car in and tell them you want the tire pressure checked? Or fluid levels, or whatever else. I don't care. Just distract the crew for a minute." Ben knew that Rey wouldn't be able to resist getting under the hood of his car.

"Okay, sir," replied Mitaka. Ben watched him drive over to the garage. Finn and Rey both came out to greet him, Rey practically at a running pace. He smiled. He had never seen them welcome anyone so fast. Rey laid a paper mat below the driver's seat, jumped in, and pulled the car around to the garage. This was his chance. He went back to the storefront and used his hiding spot to refill the pot. He knew he needed a better plan for the next six months, but for today, it would have to do.

When he emerged from the tires with the full coffee pot, he saw Mitaka sitting alone in the waiting room. Mitaka's lips curled, but he didn't say anything. Ben held his head high as he attached the pot and straightened the cups and creamers.

"Excuse me sir," said Rey behind them. "We have your keys."

Mitaka stood up and followed Rey as she walked them over to the register.

"Your car is in great shape," she told Mitaka. "We gave the tires a little bit of air but they didn't need much. It's a beauty. How long have you had it?"

"Oh it's not mine," said Mitaka. "It's actual my boss's. I'm his driver."

"Oh, gotcha," said Rey. "Well, I imagine having this car makes being a driver a bit easier. What brings you out here today?"

Mitaka chanced the tiniest glance in Ben's direction. "My boss had some work to do nearby. He needed help with a quick errand."

"I'm glad you stopped in here," said Rey. She shook her head when Mitaka reached for his wallet. "You don't owe us anything. Have a great Fourth of July!"

"You too," said Mitaka. He left the store and the bell chimed. Once he was out of earshot, it was like an explosion.

"Oh, my gosh!" yelled Rey. "Did you see his car?" She stuck her head into the garage. "Finn! Finn, he's gone."

Finn ran in and gave Rey a high five. "That was amazing!" Finn cried.

"I know!" said Rey. "Ren, did you see it?"

"No, was it nice?"

"It was a Mercedes S 560! We never get cars like that here. It's too bad you were on your break. Everyone was looking at it back there. The engineering is amazing."

"Yeah," said Finn. "I just looked it up online. Base MSRP is six figures. We were wondering if the guy would notice if we all took turns taking it out for a joyride."

"Oh yeah, get this," said Rey. "It wasn't even his car. He's the driver. Can you imagine having a driver?"

"If you ask me, I don't know why you would want a driver if you had that car," said Finn. "Straight up I would marry that car. I was dying to get behind the wheel. You at least got to drive it in and out of the garage. How was it?"

"So awesome!" said Rey. "It was like it could read my thoughts. I was terrified I would get one speck of dirt in it, though. It was so pristine. But hold up, seriously, a driver? Of all the ridiculous things to spend your money on."

"Well, I don't know," piped in Ben. "Sometimes drivers serve a few purposes, like as a personal assistant."

"Why not just have a personal assistant then?"

"That driver's boss probably puts in a lot of hours and uses the time in the car to get extra work done. People do it all the time in Corellia."

"All right," said Finn. "I guess. But it's Coruscant. It's a big city but it's not exactly Corellia."

"Well maybe his boss got used to having a driver somewhere else and still uses one here."

Both Finn and Rey stared at Ben, whose voice had begun to elevate slightly. He ducked his head and mumbled, "I don't know, just a theory."

"Ah crap," said Finn. "Party's over. I see like four cars pulling up. I bet we're packed from now to close."

"Hey about that," said Rey. "Plutt left at lunch. If things aren't too terrible, do you think I could slip out a bit early? I have that –" her eyes darted quickly over at Ben – "thing tonight. I need a chance to shower and dry my hair when I get home but I'll be pushing it if I stay til close."

"Sure," said Finn. "We'll all cover for you if Plutt shows back up."

The bell chimed and the three of them each took a customer. Ben found it hard to concentrate on taking the lady's info down. He had forgotten all about Rey's date that night with the super-smooth Poe. For the next couple of hours, the garage was a bustle of activity. Ben was busier than he had been all week, but his eyes still followed Rey wherever she went.

Would she smile at Poe the way she smiled at him? Would she touch his hair? Would she crinkle her nose when she made a joke? Would he make jokes? Would he make her laugh? The questions swirled through Ben's head. He had no right to the answers to any of them. At one point, he was so distracted that he dropped the bolt he was securing. It clanked to the ground and Ben swore loudly.

Rey's head popped up from under the hood in the car next to Ben. "Everything okay?" she called out.

"Yeah, sorry, I, uh, just lost a bolt."

"Here, let me come help you find it." She came over and bent down next to him. Together, they searched the garage floor. Rey grabbed the bolt and held it out him.

"Is this it?" she asked, and Ben nodded. She took his hand and placed the bolt in it, closing his fingers around it. She didn't let go. "You're doing a great job, Ren. Think of where you were just on Monday. You should be really proud of yourself. I'm proud of you."

Ben felt a bolt of courage surge through him. "Rey, would you – "

"Hey Rey, now would be a good chance for you to get going." They were interrupted by Finn's loud voice. Rey dropped Ben's hand.

"I'm just about done with that Mazda."

"All right, but then you should go. We'll be fine here."

Rey skipped back over to her car. Finn lingered by Ben's side.

"It's good to see Rey happy," said Finn in a low voice. "We wouldn't want her to miss an opportunity to have a special night."

Ben narrowed his eyes but kept his focus on securing the bolt. "Of course," he said simply.

Finn left his side, having said what he needed. Ben was tempted to smash in the window of the car in front of him. He was already holding a wrench. It would be so easy to go postal on all the metal and glass in front of him. Instead, he tightened the bolt a little more than was necessary and then let his arm drop by his side. He wiped some of the sweat from his brow and felt the braid, still intact from earlier.

When he was on his final bolt, he felt a hand tap him on the back. He whipped around to see Rey holding a cup of coffee and wearing her bag.

"Hey, I'm off, but I wanted to wish you a happy Fourth," she said. "Good luck with the interrogations tomorrow."

One side of Ben's mouth lifted slightly. "You too. I mean, about having a good Fourth, not the interrogations."

She grinned back in earnest. "Hey, what were you saying when Finn interrupted us?"

Ben paused. He took in her happy face and her bright eyes. "It was nothing," he said. "Just, have a good weekend."

"You too, Ren."

She took off for the exit, and one of the guys threw a suggestive remark her way. She laughed and shook her head vigorously, yelling at everyone to shut up before she clumsily stumbled over a tool. Still laughing, she turned around and fake bowed, and the guys clapped for her. Once she was gone, the excitement died down and everyone got back to work. Ben texted Mitaka to tell him to pick him up a block away as soon as the shop closed.

Before he left for the day, Ben cleaned out the coffee pot. He wished everyone a good weekend and practically ran to his car, parked surreptitiously across the block. In all of his working years, he wasn't sure he had ever been so happy to see a weekend begin, even after the shortened week. On the other hand, the three-day weekend meant less time seeing Rey.

"Are we headed to the gym?" asked Mitaka once Ben had climbed in and gotten comfortable.

"Yes," said Ben. Hux wasn't going to be there, but Ben desperately needed to punch the bag. He hoped Mitaka had put his hand wraps in his bag. That thought made Ben pause.

"Hey, Mitaka?"

Mitaka looked into the rearview mirror.

"Are you happy being my driver?"

Mitaka's eyes were back on the road, so Ben couldn't see his expression. There was a period where the only noise was the traffic around them.

"Yes, I like driving, and I actually have a lot of free time during the day, which a lot of people can't say. I read a lot. Although I must say it has been a bit of an odd week." He looked back into the rearview mirror and Ben's cheeks warmed at his teasing expression.

"That's good to know, but are you happy here in Coruscant? Were you upset to leave Corellia? I hope you never felt like I forced you."

"You didn't sir, you asked and I accepted. And I have to say I like it here. The weather is nice and it's much cheaper to live."

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

If this line of questioning surprised Mitaka, he didn't let on. "Not really. I guess tomorrow I'll take you to your parents' party and then wherever else you need to go."

"You should take the weekend off," said Ben. Mitaka's eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror. "I mean it. Just take the car tonight. I'll grab an Uber to my parents' tomorrow and then borrow one of their cars for the weekend."

"Well…okay then…thanks sir. I appreciate that."

"You know what," said Ben, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out some bills and stuck them in the middle console. "Do something fun on me. Take out a girl, whatever. You'd definitely make an impression in this car. I'm apparently paying for everyone but me to date so that might as well include you."

"I couldn't possibly…"

"Just take it," said Ben. The conversation was over, and Ben settled back in his seat. He was scrolling through his email when he heard Mitaka's timid voice.

"Hey Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"I can show you how to use that coffee machine."


	6. Chapter 6

"It was never going work," said Rey as they settled on their beach towels. "I mean, he has a cat. He showed me a bunch of pictures. It was this round orange monstrosity. You know I'm a dog person through and through."

Finn hummed in response as he fumbled through his backpack and pulled out sunscreen. They finally had a day off with the garage closed for July Fourth. After the busy week with a near-constant stream of customers, the break was very welcome. Neither Finn nor Rey had been to beach much that year, despite pinky swearing back in January they would finally go regularly. As they were driving that morning, Finn declared that he was certain he had watched more entire series on Netflix that year than had taken trips to the beach.

Rey rolled onto her back under the umbrella they had set up. She had already recounted the events of the date to Finn, like a sports play-by-play commentator. Poe had picked her up, given her a lovely bouquet, and taken her to dinner near the beach. Conversation had been easy – fun, even - and they continued to chat as they strolled along the boardwalk in the early moonlight. By all accounts, it was a perfect date. Poe had definitely seemed surprised by her tepid response at the end when he asked to see her again.

"And Finn, his name. I felt silly every time I said it, and it just made me want to sing the Teletubbies theme song."

"Uh huh," Finn deadpanned. "Definitely a deal-breaker."

"And when we got into his car, I asked if his Passat was turbo 4-cylinder or V6 and he didn't even know. It was his own car!"

At this, Finn stared straight down at her.

"See, here I was thinking that guys with weird names who don't know anything about cars was kind of your thing."

Rey was grateful that her sunglasses covered her eyes so she could respond casually, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Finn scoffed. "Really?" he said. "We're just not going to talk about the real reason you're not interested in a perfectly nice man who is clearly into you?"

"Like I said, what are you even talking-"

"Could it be that Poe wasn't tall enough? Or brooding enough?" Finn leaned down and lowered his voice significantly. "Or didn't answer to the name 'Ren?'"

"All right, all right." Rey sat up, facing Finn squarely. "Maybe I thought about him once or twice during the evening."

"I knew it!" cried Finn. "You are just so obvious Rey-Rey."

"Not too obvious I hope!" yelped Rey nervously.

"Oh, I don't know, how often have you braided Teedo's hair?"

"Haha," Rey said flatly. "Wait, you saw that?"

"Everyone saw that, Peanut."

Rey rolled her eyes and lay back down on her towel. To say that she had thought about Ren "once or twice" the night before was an understatement, not that she would ever admit that to Finn. She thought of him constantly. When she styled her hair for the evening, she realized that Ren had never seen her with her hair down. Every time Poe displayed a gap-toothed smile, she thought about Ren's slightly crooked teeth, visible only in the rarest moment of true joy. Poe paid her a litany of suave compliments, but she found herself missing Ren's awkward comments.

Ren had ruined her date, and possibly any chance she had with Poe going forward. She was almost ashamed at how quickly Ren had consumed her thoughts.

"Rey has a big girl crush," said Finn in a singsong voice. "Look at you. You're blushing. I don't think I've ever seen you like this."

"I'm not blushing!" Rey jerked back up. "It's the sun!"

"You're in the shade. It's ok, you can tell me all about how you want His Grumpiness to put his lube to better use."

"Stop."

"I mean, when was the last time you got to use your funnel?"

"Wow you are disgusting. And those aren't even good puns."

Finn chuckled, still pleased with himself.

"But really, Rey, what is it that you see in him?" Finn asked, turning more serious. "Fine, he's tall and broad, but he barely says anything."

"He does, though!" Rey protested. "When it's just him and me I feel like I've known him forever. I get that he can be kind of awkward, but he's really funny and sweet."

"Can a guy that looks like him ever be called 'sweet?'"

"He is to me."

"Well, of course, because he likes you." Finn stated this like a fact. Rey looked down and started pulling at a loose thread on her beach towel.

"I don't think that's true," she muttered. "I think he just appreciates me stepping up and helping him out. I've used every excuse I can think of to touch him or compliment him, and zip, zilch, nothing. He never even asked me for my number. I had to give him mine, using some awful excuse, and he sent me one text to give me his number, and I sent him a smile, and that was it. We live in the same apartment complex but it's not like he's tried to stop by or hang out or anything. I ran into him doing laundry one night, I guess, but we only saw each other for a few minutes." Rey huffed and fell back on her towel.

"Girl, I love you, but you're out of your damn mind," said Finn, after patiently listening to her whole speech. "That guy is like creepy obsessed with you. He stares at you constantly like you're some delicious steak he'd love to gobble up in two bites."

Rey crinkled her nose. "Um, ew."

"I mean it, Rey. Don't deflect. When you left for your date last night, he watched you leave with the saddest puppy dog eyes I've ever seen on an actual human being."

"If that's true," said Rey, "and you better not be lying to me, what can I even do? I feel like I've been pretty forward."

"Rey, he's obviously shy. Plus it was clear he knew you were going on a date. That's not usually a green light for any guy. Especially not with Snap yelling at you about using protection."

Rey winced.

"Say something happened between us," she said slowly. "It couldn't really go anywhere. Plutt wouldn't like it."

"The less Plutt knows about anything that happens, the better."

"He'd definitely find out."

"You know all the guys would have your back. Plutt barely comes out of his little hole anyway. Besides, you've really got to stop letting that guy control your life. He has nothing to do with any of this. There's nothing wrong with you guys dating. Ren's not your boss, you're not his boss, although you should…"

Rey quickly cut him off before he could go down this road again.

"Look, all of this is super hypothetical," she interjected. "Because we don't actually know if he likes me."

In response to the face Finn gave her, she continued. "We, we, we don't even know if he's single!"

"Has he given you any reason to believe that he isn't?"

Rey considered this for a minute. "Well, I know for sure he's not married. And he's new to the area, but that doesn't really mean anything I guess. He hasn't mentioned a girlfriend or whatever, but it's not something you talk about to a new coworker."

"Don't even. You guys have definitely already crossed over to 'friend' territory. Have you looked him up?"

"Of course I have," Rey hissed, embarrassed. "I even looked at one of the receipts he did to make sure I spelled his name right. But there's nothing online. I checked everywhere."

"He doesn't strike me as a social media guy."

"C'mon, not even Facebook? Some old abandoned account that only gets a few comments on his birthday every year? Finn, he's an internet ghost."

"But have you tried Tinder?" Finn asked, raising one eyebrow suggestively.

Rey giggled. "Puh-lease. Like I'm going to swipe through every single in Coruscant in case some guy who doesn't even have Facebook is there."

"Oh now I want to find him on there and prove you wrong," said Finn, laughing with her. "I'm thinking a black and white picture…shirtless…staring straight at the camera…hair covering one eye…holding a wrench…"

Finn was teasing, but Rey was enjoying picturing this in her mind a little too much. For one crazy moment, she was tempted to download the app and give it a shot. She shook her head and shoved Finn playfully.

"All right enough about me!" she said. "Have you asked out Rose yet?"

Finn turned sheepish. "I, um, haven't seen her?"

"Finn!" Rey whined. "I can't believe you! You told me you would ask her last night since you were working the same shift."

Finn groaned. "K, you got me. I chickened out. Also, this isn't fair. It's not like you can spy on her for me the way I can for you and Ren. You've never even met her."

"Don't talk to me about what isn't fair," shot back Rey. "You're giving me this hard time about Ren while you've been sitting around nursing a crush for months and have fifty bucks cash burning a hole in your pocket, which I gave you for one purpose."

"I still can't believe you gave up the first lucky break you've ever gotten."

"I didn't see you refuse it," said Rey. "And don't be so dramatic. It's not my first ever lucky break."

"Oh right," said Finn. "Ren living in your apartment complex was pretty lucky too."

That was lucky. Rey loved having an excuse to spend more time with Ren on their commute. Plus, he always made sure she got to her door safely. It was completely unnecessary but also sweet. It felt kind of nice to have someone looking out for her. Of course, she had refused Finn's offers to see her home countless times, but when she was with Ren, she didn't mind the extra attention. Or the extra time together.

"You know," continued Finn, "if you wanted to see him this weekend, it wouldn't be hard. Just take up some cookies, like a housewarming gift or something."

Rey found herself nodding. "Maybe. Plus I'm dying to talk to his roommate. Kind of a weirdo, that one."

"Queer ducks flock together," said Finn.

"Quit it Finn. Ren is not a weirdo. He's just uncomfortable in our work environment."

"Yeah, what was he doing before this? He's gotta be older than us. Obviously it was nothing to do with cars."

"Hey, he's learned a lot even in these few days." Rey felt the need to defend him even though Finn wasn't wrong. "He worked in some kind of a bank. I don't even know where. I've gotten the impression he doesn't really like to talk about his past."

"And that's perfect for you because he might ask you questions about yours," said Finn. Rey grabbed at the loose towel thread again. "Rey, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing bad that's happened to you has ever been your fault."

"I really don't want to talk about this."

"Maybe it's time that you do." Finn pulled off his sunglasses to look directly at Rey. "I've known you for five years and you've barely told me anything about your background. I don't even think the other guys even know that Plutt was your guardian."

"And I want to keep it that way, you know that."

"Why, because of all that special treatment he gives you?" Finn rolled his eyes. "You've been the most important person in the garage the entire time we've worked there and everyone, including Plutt, especially Plutt, knows it. You're the reason we're so highly rated and bring in so much business. And yet the cheap bastard can't be bothered to give you a decent promotion or raise because he might have to part with a single penny he doesn't have to."

"What am I supposed to do about it Finn?"

"Quit! Move garages!"

"It's not that easy!" Rey yelled. "We both know what it's like for women in this industry. I've worked for years building up my reputation at the shop. I have customers. The other mechanics respect me. If I moved garages I'd have to start all over."

"C'mon Rey, you know you'd be able to gain respect in a minute. You could even stay with Solo, keep your benefits. There's a Solo Tire on, like, every corner in this city."

"Yeah, and Plutt knows every single owner," said Rey. "And do you really want me to leave you?"

"Of course not," replied Finn. "But I hate to see you working for that guy. It's like you can't escape him. He doesn't deserve to have that hold on you."

"What about you Finn? Don't downplay the role you play at the garage, too. You have just as much seniority and experience as me. You could leave too. I don't see Plutt making you manager either."

"You may be right," said Finn softly. "But I'm happy there. I don't have to be reminded of my childhood every time Plutt sticks his fat face out the door."

"I'll text Ren if you text Rose!" Rey jumped in, voice bright and loud.

Finn gave her a half grin and shook his head.

"I know what you're doing, Rey."

"I'll text him right now if you help me think of something."

"You're trying to distract me from this conversation," said Finn. "But, you're a clever girl and you knew it would work. I'll allow it."

Rey giggled and smacked him on the arm. "Why thank you," she said, dipping her head deeply.

"What is a guy like that up to on this sunny holiday?"

"He's at a party his parents are throwing. He wasn't very excited about it. I guess he thinks everyone will give him a hard time for not being married, or whatever."

"So use that as your opener."

Over the next few minutes, Finn and Rey thought of ways to start conversations with Ren and Rose. Rey typed and deleted a number of times.

"Ugh, why is this so stressful?" Finn said as he typed on his own phone. "The only texts we have in this chain are about covering shifts."

"I think I've got mine," said Rey, brandishing her phone for Finn to see. "Tell me if it's too cheesy."

"That's cute," said Finn. "Send it. What about mine?"

Rey read it and gave him a thumbs up.

"K on the count of three!" she said. "1, 2, 3!" She squeezed her eyes tight and pushed "send" with one finger. Her phone made a "whoosh" sound and almost immediately, the little "delivered" notification popped up under the text.

"And now we wait."

"And now we wait."

Ben was leaning against the side of his parents' yacht when he felt his phone buzz. He couldn't pull it out since he was trying to be polite to his mother's old friend Amilyn. He nodded at appropriate intervals as she told him all about her new, much-younger boyfriend. It was typical of the eccentric lady. She always acted younger than her age, even in her outside appearance. Her current look was sporting bright purple hair. Ben thought it looked ridiculous, but it at least gave him something to look at as she prattled on. It could be worse. As far as his mother's friends went, Amilyn was definitely on the more interesting side.

"So what about you?" Amilyn asked. Here it was. The inevitable question that every single guest on the yacht party had asked Ben that day. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"No," said Ben. There was a moment of silence. If she was looking for him to expound, she would be disappointed.

"Well," she said, ending the silence. "You're new to town. I'm sure you'll find someone soon enough." She patted him on the arm. "It's good to have you back. I know how happy your mom is that you've moved home."

That was another thing he had heard again and again that day. It was a constant reminder that he was the ever-disappointing son, not that he needed it. Everyone was treating him like the prodigal son returned, like the years he spent away were nothing more than a mistake, or a betrayal, even.

"I sure am," said a voice behind Ben. His mother walked up and put her arm around his waist. "Do you mind if I steal Ben for a moment, Ami?"

"Of course," said Amilyn. She took a sip of her cocktail and looked around to find another person to talk to.

Leia Organa led Ben away. Once they were out of earshot, Leia leaned into Ben and whispered, "I imagine you've heard all about the amazing Alfonso. I thought I'd cut you a break."

"Thanks Mother," said Ben, giving her a squeeze. "I see these parties haven't changed a bit. Same people, same food. Although the yacht has changed, hasn't it? When did you guys get this one?"

"Oh a couple years ago," said Leia. "You'd know already if you came by more on the weekends. Falcon II was getting to be a pain to maintain, so here we are on Falcon III." She gave Ben a significant look, and they both laughed.

"Typical Dad," said Ben. "Still in love with that stupid piece of junk racecar. Does he still have it?"

"The Millenium Falcon lives on in our garage," said Leia. "I'm shocked he hasn't shown it to you since you've come back. We've had all kinds of offers over the years from various collectors and museums, but your dad can't part with it you know. It's his-"

"Baby, I know."

They were interrupted by the sound of clinking glass. Everyone looked towards the head of the yacht where Han Solo was standing, holding up his martini.

"Thank you all for joining Leia and I on another Fourth of July party. We've been holding these parties for 25 years although you'd never know, looking at this young face."

Next to Ben, Leia shook her head with a tiny smile on her face. When the polite chuckles died down, Han continued.

"We look forward to hosting you all every year. But this year, we get to welcome a guest we haven't had for a decade. Everyone, welcome my son, Ben. We're happy to have you here, kid." He held his glass in Ben's direction, and the guests followed suit.

Ben didn't know what to do, so he downed his drink to avoid looking at anyone and gave the empty glass to a waiter walking by. After a moment, the chatter and music swelled, and Ben knew the attention was off of him. Han came over to him and Leia.

"So Ben," said Han. "How goes the life of the working man?"

"It's good," said Ben. He noticed that a few people were starting to gather around them. Han always drew a crowd.

"I've got Ben working undercover in one of my garages," Han explained to the crowd. "Learning the life of a real mechanic. We're dirtying this boy's hands up. It's about time."

"My hands have been plenty dirty Dad," said Ben in a huff. "I've been handling work myself. It's a very busy garage. Actually, it's the highest rated on Yelp and Google Reviews in the area. People come from other parts of the city to go there because the reputation is so good."

He was parroting some of the things Rey had told him over the week, but he had seen for himself it was true. The garage had tons of repeat customers and lots of new people who said they had been referred from a friend or online. Rey deserved a medal for how many people mentioned her from the online reviews.

"And these people haven't been scared away by the evil Kylo Ren yet?" Han taunted. He looked up at his attentive crowd. "Ben's been going by a pseudonym at the garage."

"Han…" Leia started warningly, but Han shrugged her off. Ben knew where this was going.

"When Ben was in middle school," Han started, "he got really into swords and sci fi and fantasy and all that stuff. He started drawing pictures of this made-up character he called Kylo Ren. He wore a cape and had this red sword and this terrifying mask. It wasn't too long until Ben started asking us to call him Kylo Ren too." Han laughed and wiped a couple tears from his eyes. "We called up a child psychologist who told us to just play along for a while, so we did."

Ben stormed off as everyone smiled at Han's story. When he moved back to Coruscant, he had been under the delusion that his dad would be so happy he had returned home that he would stop treating him like a child. In some hopeful part of his imagination, Han would be so nervous that Ben would up and leave again that he would be walking on eggshells around him all the time. But in the past couple months, Ben had come to realize that Han was Han, and he'd never stop making fun of him.

"Just ignore that old ego." Ben heard a familiar voice to his side. He turned to see his dad's partner Chewie. He was actually happy to see him. Chewie had always been like an uncle to Ben.

"He still thinks he can walk all over me," said Ben, almost whining. "I'm not twelve years old anymore."

"You didn't have to take a job at Solo Tire," said Chewie. Ben started to protest, and Chewie lifted a hand. "I know; you couldn't work in finance anymore. But from what I understand, the Organas set you up pretty good. You don't have to work another day in your life."

That was true. Ben had come fully into his trust fund a few years before, when he turned twenty-five. His grandfather, Bail Organa, had been extremely successful, as well as a member of a very old, rich family. As Bail's only grandchild, Ben had been lucky to receive a substantial inheritance.

"I know," said Ben. "But I need to work. I can't end up like…" He couldn't say it.

"Like Luke," said Chewie. "Look, Ben, I've known your uncle a very long time. Not having a steady job was not his only issue. And c'mon, he's just a surly old hermit. It's not like he's in prison."

Ben didn't have anything to add. His mother's twin brother had taken his trust fund and used it to fuel his lifestyle of hopping from hippie colony to hippie colony, always trying to "find himself" and commune with nature. Over time, he grew more and more paranoid and eventually settled into his family's boarded-up old home and never talked to anyone. Ben knew that Leia hoped that someday he would come out of his funk and be the young Luke she remembered fondly. Leia, Han, and Chewie had all tried at points to go and visit and were astonished by his strange actions. Chewie had once told Ben that Luke drank milk straight out a cow.

"At any rate," said Chewie. "I'm proud of you for doing this. We all are, even your dad. Especially your dad. I know he doesn't always know how to show it, but he is. Hang in there, buddy." Chewie, who was even taller than Ben by a number of inches, rubbed Ben's head and patted him on the back before leaving him.

Finally alone, Ben sank into a chair and pulled out his phone to deter any more guests from approaching him. There was an unread text on the lock screen. He had forgotten he had gotten a notification while talking to Amilyn. He swiped to unlock the phone automatically, not looking at it. When he opened his messages, he almost dropped his phone when he saw it was from Rey.

 _ **Hey Ren, how's your party? Are you manning the grill or are you the man getting grilled?"**_

Ben laughed out loud. Looking around nervously, he quickly muffled his laugh under his hand, but he knew he had the biggest smile on his face he had had all day. He looked at the time stamp on the text. He had gotten it twenty minutes ago. He needed to respond quickly so she wouldn't think he was ignoring her. After thinking of what to say for a minute, he sent her back a text.

 _ **Good one. I'm definitely getting grilled, and I don't think anyone is satisfied with what they're getting out of me. I guess it's nice to see some old faces, though. How has your weekend been?**_

Ben had deliberated hard on that last line. He desperately wanted to know how her date had gone, but he couldn't come out and ask her. So instead of asking how her day was going, he asked her how her weekend was. He opened up a web browser and surfed the web mindlessly until he got a notification on the top of his screen. He opened it eagerly.

 _ **It's been okay, nothing too special. Finn and I are at Theed Beach. It's pretty crowded but not as bad as I expected. I think maybe we'll stay long enough to see the fireworks over the bay. Have you ever been?**_

Ben read the text a good dozen times. "Nothing too special," she had said. That was good, right? Or maybe she just didn't want to come out and say it? Was Ben making it too obvious that he liked her? He thought about her at Theed Beach, stretched out in a bathing suit, rubbing suntan lotion all over her legs. It was not far from the marina where they kept the yacht.

 _ **Not since I was a kid. They were my favorite part of the day. But I haven't watched any fireworks in years.**_

He sent it, and watched as the three little dots showed up for a long time, indicating that she was typing. He should have ended with a question. Why didn't he end with a question? After a couple minutes of desperately waiting, he almost sent another text, but his phone buzzed.

 _ **Want to join us? We have a good spot. I understand if you're stuck with your family, but we'd love to have you. If you have someone with you, they can come too.**_

Ben was so eager to respond that he typed "I" and then accidentally sent it. Stupid big fingers were not designed for touch screens. Feeling like an idiot, he typed quickly.

 _ **I would love to come, thanks. And it's just me. I'll get there as soon as I can. Just tell me where.**_

Ben needed to get off this boat.


	7. Chapter 7

Ben spotted his mother talking to some guests on the far side of the yacht. He made his way to her quickly. When he caught her eyes, he jerked his head to the side. She made some gracious apologies to the couple whom Ben did not recognize and followed him.

"Mom, how long until we're docking?"

She gave him a wary expression.

"We stay out here until the fireworks are over. We've been doing it for years, and everyone knows that."

Ben made a loud noise of frustration. Leia rolled her eyes.

"I should have known you'd be dying to get out of here early," she said. "Is it so bad to spend a little more time with your family?"

Ben had predicted she'd give him a hard time. "I have somewhere else I need to be."

"Hmmm," replied Leia. "Could you be trying to get to that girl you've been texting?"

"What –"

"Oh Benjamin honey, you've been sitting over there staring at your phone with the goofiest smile. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out." She patted his arm affectionately.

Ben just pursed his lips.

"So who is this girl?" Leia needled. "You could have invited her here."

"No!" yelled Ben before composing himself. "I mean, no, it's not like that. We're just friends."

"Well, okay, what is this 'friend's' name?"

Ben peeked at his watch. "Mom, I really don't want to talk about this. I want to know if I can get out of here."

"Fine," said Leia, holding up her hands and shaking her head. "I won't ask more. I'm just glad that you're seeing people again. Not every girl is like Natalie."

Ben scowled. "Can we not, Mother?"

Leia sighed. "It's too early to ask Wedge to pull the yacht in, but I guess you could take a jet ski if you really want. We're not that far out. You could leave it at the dock."

"Thank you Mom," Ben said brightly, giving his mother a quick peck on the cheek.

She looked him up and down. "You're not really dressed for it."

"I don't care; it will be fine." He started to take off toward the lower level. He heard his mom call out behind him.

"Find Threepio. He knows what to do."

The family's butler wasn't his favorite person, but at least he would have someone to help him. Ben searched for a few minutes and finally found the tall, thin man in the kitchen, wearing the same sparkly gold vest as always.

"Hey Threepio, I need you for a sec."

"Master Ben," said Threepio, in his crisp European accent. Ben suddenly realized he had no idea where he was from despite knowing him his whole life. "What can I do for you?"

"Mom said you could help me get a jet ski out. I want to go back to the dock."

Threepio's eyes widened. "Why Master Ben, I hardly think that's a wise idea. There are a million things that could go wrong. You're not dressed properly and the sun is setting."

Ben rolled his eyes impatiently and clucked his tongue. There was no more anxious person on Earth than this guy. As a child Ben had received more lectures from him about the dangers of sneaking cookie dough, climbing trees, sitting too close to his computer, playing too many video games, and on and on.

"Well, what do I know," said Threepio wistfully. "I'm only a lowly butler." Ben had heard that before a time or two. "Follow me sir."

They went to the far end of the yacht, where there was a built in mini garage. Threepio opened the latch and the door lifted up to reveal a pair of new looking jet skis. Ben pulled off his navy blazer and handed it to Threepio, who took it and showed Ben where there was a storage compartment in the seat. After rolling up his sleeves, Ben peeled off his leather boat shoes and watch and put them and his cell phone in the seat. He climbed on and took in the controls. It had been years since he had been on a jet ski, but he rode them often growing up and remembered the process well.

Threepio typed in some controls and the jet ski lowered gently into the water via a ramp using hydraulics. Once Ben was settled, Threepio called out some directions for which dock to leave it at and Ben threw him a salute. He turned it on and drove off in the direction of the barely visible marina. He sped along between boats in the busy bay until he finally came near the shore. Narrowing his eyes in the waning light, he spotted the numbers lining the dock. Finally, he found his parents' location and brought it in. An attendant helped him bring the jet ski up onto the dock. Ben ignored the man's confused look at his fancy, wet clothes and busied himself with putting his shoes and watch back on. He tossed the attendant a few dollars and went to call Mitaka, angry at himself he hadn't thought to call him earlier.

When Ben pulled Mitaka's name up on his phone, his hand stilled. He had promised Mitaka the weekend off. Last night, he had fully expected to spend all of the holiday with his parents and the rest of the weekend sulking alone at his condo. Ben briefly considered calling Mitaka anyway, but decided he couldn't renege. He looked around anxiously. He wasn't too far from Theed Beach, but he needed to drive if he had any hope of making it in time. Quickly, he downloaded the Uber app and ordered a car. While he waited for "Xander," he sent a text to Rey.

 ** _I'm not too far away. Be there soon._**

Xander pulled up in a Honda Accord, and Ben squeezed himself into the backseat. His driver was a bit younger than Ben if he had to guess.

"Having a good Fourth?" Xander asked conversationally.

"Um, yeah," said Ben. He caught the man's eye in the rearview mirror, and realized he was waiting for more. "Uh, how is yours?"

"Great," responded Xander immediately. "Barbeque and the beach, what could be better? What about you? Were you boating?"

Ben watched Xander's eyes dip a bit in the mirror to take in Ben's outfit. Ben looked down and immediately felt ridiculous. He had at least lost his blazer, but he was still in expensive topsider shoes, plaid shorts, and a white oxford shirt. He looked like he belonged on the cover of Preppy Boaters Monthly. Furthermore, his clothes were damp from his impromptu jet ski excursion. He needed to change.

"Hey," said Ben, changing the subject. "Where do you buy your clothes?"

The outgoing driver seemed taken aback. "Sorry, what?"

"If you were to buy clothes, where would you go?"

"Like in general?"

"Yeah."

"Um," the driver thought a second. "I don't know, Target, Old Navy?"

"Great," said Ben. "Are any of those around here? I need to make a quick stop."

"I know of a Target not far from here. It would only be a few minutes out of the way if you wanted to go."

"Yes," said Ben. Xander adjusted his GPS.

"What did you wear to the beach today?" asked Ben.

Xander was clearly trying not to act too weirded out. "Swim trunks, tshirt, flip flops," he said finally.

"Ok," said Ben. They drove the rest of the way in silence. When they got to Target, Ben asked Xander to wait for a few minutes. Inside the store, Ben looked around awkwardly. He had been to Target during college for various things, but certainly never for clothes. He looked at the ceiling until he spotted a sign indicating men's clothing, and followed it. When he got there, he grabbed the first pair of swim trunks he saw, and also a gray v-necked t-shirt. He followed the signs to "shoes," and found a pair of khaki flip flops.

Pulling out his phone, he shot off another text to Rey. **_Had to make a quick stop. Is there anything you need?_**

Almost immediately, her response came in. _**No, but we're out of snacks, so grab something if you're hungry. We're near marker 7. See you soon!**_

Ben immediately diverted his path from the cash registers to the food aisles. He found a sign that indicated snacks. Once there, he stood silently studying the racks of food. What kind of snacks did people bring to the beach? He glanced up and down. There wasn't a single item that didn't contain gobs of sodium and MSG. Sighing, he figured that was the kind of food Rey and Finn were probably looking for. Kylo Ren was almost definitely a fan of this stuff.

Finally, he snatched up a bag of Doritos, a bag of barbeque potato chips, and a package of Oreos. His arms were getting full, but he managed to slip a six-pack of Coke Zero on his pinky finger. Feeling ridiculous, he made his way to a register. When he unloaded his purchases onto the conveyer belt, he remembered something. He asked the cashier a question and ran off in the direction she pointed. He returned a moment later with a cheap looking backpack, and tossed a pack of breath mints onto the belt as well.

Once he had paid, he went into the bathroom and changed as quickly as he could. He checked himself in the mirror and smoothed his hair. Now transformed into Kylo Ren: Chill Weekend Bro, he stuffed his boat wear into his new backpack, yanked off all tags, and made his way quickly back to the parking lot. Xander looked at him but didn't say anything except to confirm that they were still headed to Theed Beach.

"Yes, marker 7 please, if you know where that is," replied Ben. Feeling embarrassed, he opened up his Uber app and gave Xander a five-star rating and a healthy tip. It was only a few minutes before they pulled into a crowded parking lot off the boardwalk.

"Marker 7 starts right over there." Xander pointed. "Thank you Ben. Hope you have a good Fourth."

"You too," said Ben, climbing out as quickly as he could. Then he took a breath and turned around, making sure to catch Xander's eye. "Thanks for everything."

Xander smiled and pulled away and Ben went to find Finn and Rey. He walked onto the sand for a while, looking carefully out into the dim light of the sunset. Finally, he spotted the two of them sitting on adjoining towels, playing cards. Rey was in a black bikini and Finn was shirtless, wearing only swim trunks. Ben ducked behind a group of people playing volleyball and yanked off his new tshirt, stuffing it into his backpack. Casually, he walked over to Rey.

"Hey guys," he said.

"Hey! You found-" Rey turned around to greet him and stopped speaking abruptly. She coughed a bit. Finn whacked her on the back.

"Sorry," she said. "Frog in my throat there. We're happy you're here! And you have snacks!"

She slid over a bit to make room on her towel and he plopped down beside her. Her brown hair was in a bun like usual, but it was windblown and messy, and he had to keep himself from smoothing it away from her forehead. He could smell the suntan lotion on her. She was dazzling. In the corner of his eye, he saw Finn scoff a bit and crack a crooked smile. Next to Ben, Rey dove into the Target bags eagerly. She tore open the Doritos. After a few generous handfuls, she spoke.

"Oh sorry, I guess I didn't really ask permission."

Ben chuckled. "I brought it for everybody." There was a brief period of silence while Rey munched away. Ben grabbed a few tepidly. He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy them.

Finn was working on the other bag of chips when he piped in. "So tell us, what is a Ren family party like?"

"What is any family party like?" he said, deflecting.

"You tell us," said Finn. "Rey and I didn't grow up with families."

Ben felt silly. He didn't know that about Finn, but he did know that about Rey. "I'm sorry."

Finn waved his hand. "No worries. You didn't know. So is it a backyard barbeque?"

"It's outdoors," said Ben truthfully. "Just a casual gathering of my parents' friends. It's always the same. They chat, drink, eat. My dad gives some speech. Nothing special, really."

"Did everyone lay into you?" asked Rey, peering at him with a sneaky smile. "Have you graduated to marriage questions like you expected?"

"I sure did," said Ben, rolling his eyes. "I got a lot of sympathetic shoulder pats and 'you'll find someone's."

"Well, why aren't you married?" cut in Finn abruptly.

"Finn!" yelled Rey, leaning over to swat him. "You can't ask him that, you jerk! We're supposed to be the fun respite from the party!"

Finn rubbed his arm and acted hurt. "What?" he said defensively. He turned to Ren. "You're what…twenty-nine? Thirty?"

"Twenty-nine," confirmed Ben.

"It's a fair question!" said Finn. "Have you ever been married before?"

"No," said Ben, happy to put that to bed.

"Ren, you don't have to answer anything he asks," said Rey, giving Finn the stink eye. "This is ridiculous. Who wants a Coke?"

Finn's phone buzzed and he practically dove for it.

"It's Rose!" he cried. Rey crawled over and tried to see the screen. "She just got off her shift and asked me to come by her place where she and her sister are going to set off some fireworks."

"Oh my gosh!" Rey gave Finn a high five. "Go, get!"

Finn started to gather his things, but slowed down after a moment. "Wait, Ren how did you get here?"

"Uber."

"That means I'm you guys' ride," said Finn. "I hate to ditch you."

"Pshhh," said Rey dismissively. "We can just take another Uber. You should not even still be here talking to us. We'll be fine. Go!"

Finn leaned in, gave Rey a quick hug and whispered something in her ear, and then put out his fist towards Ben. After a moment too long to be comfortable, Ben realized Finn was waiting for him to pound back. He finally reached out, and Finn smiled.

"Have fun you two," said Finn as he picked up his collapsed umbrella and strolled off. To Ben's disappointment, Rey slid over to Finn's vacated towel. She stretched her legs in front of her and cracked a can of Coke. Ben followed suit, and for the next few minutes, they sat sipping their drinks in silence and watching the sun slowly set over the bay. The beach was busy, and there was noise all around them, but the air felt still where they sat.

Ben kept sneaking side-glances at Rey, trying to gauge how she felt about their current state. Often, on dates, when Ben fell silent, he felt the aura change. His dates would shift uncomfortably, or jabber on nervously to fill the quiet themselves.

With Rey, there was none of that. Her gaze was steady on the horizon, and she had a faint smile on her lips. Once she finished her drink, she set it down and wrapped her arms around her knees. Ben took an indulgent moment to take in her whole body. Her toes were painted but chipped, and her legs were long and shapely. Her waist was narrow, and her breasts were small but cute in her little bathing suit top. He stared at the back of her graceful neck, each vertebrae shifting slightly with each breath she took. He pictured himself kissing his way up and burying his nose in her hair.

"It's so beautiful," she said finally, breaking their silence. "I wish I took more time to come out here and just watch the sun set."

"I know what you mean," replied Ben. "I don't know the last time I saw the sun disappear below the horizon. I liked watching when I was a kid."

"I guess I'm turning you back into wee little Ren," teased Rey. "Fireworks and sunsets. Do you still do anything that you liked doing when you were little?"

Ben thought for a moment. "I like to read," he said. "When I was growing up I was kind of into nerdy books, like Lord of the Rings and the Redwall series. Some people picked on me for it. I don't read as much now as I should, but I do read a bit. Always fiction. It's a great way to escape."

Rey's eyes were on Ben now. She was listening carefully. Ben loved that about her. She made everyone around her feel like she cared, from her coworkers to the random customer. The tough thing was that it made it hard to discern whether her interest was her just being Rey, or something more.

"I can't say I have the patience for long books," she said, "but I know how much they mean to some people. You know, Coruscant Hills may not be much, but there's a great library off 51st Street. You should check it out."

"Good idea," said Ben.

"You should read some of the things you liked reading when you were young," she suggested. "It's good sometimes to reacquaint ourselves with our younger selves. No one will make fun of you now. Well, maybe Porkins will." She grinned.

Ben snickered back. "Porkins can't hurt me."

"No, I imagine not, not when his favorite book is 'The Idiot's Guide to Trafficking Hybrid Squirrels,'" she said, holding out her hand as if writing the title across the air. Ben chuckled along at her continuation of their old joke.

"What about you?" asked Ben, turning the tables. "What did you like to do when you were a kid?"

Her face changed a bit and she looked down at her knees. Instantly, Ben went to apologize.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You don't have to talk about it."

"No, it's okay," she said, looking back at him. "My childhood was…not great." She held up a hand. "Don't apologize; it's not your fault."

She looked up at the sky, which had turned a fading shade of orange. She was silent for a couple minutes. Ben frantically tried to think of something to say that could divert the path their conversation had taken, but then she spoke back up.

"I guess when I was pretty young I was really into the sky, like stars and clouds and stuff. I always imagined I could fly. Sometimes I'd be able to get some books from the school library, and I read everything I could about planes and spaceships."

Ben nodded along encouragingly, but her eyes didn't leave the sky as she continued.

"One year on Christmas, some charity brought some toys to our group home. They were new toys. It was really exciting for everyone. We each got to pick one thing, and they had this pilot Barbie. I loved her. I named her Captain Raeh, but spelled it R-A-E-H, so I guess named after me but not? I was ten, so who knows. At some point, one of the younger kids got a hold of her and popped her head off. I put it back on, but she never looked the same after that. I did bring her here to America, though, when I was thirteen. I was so excited to finally ride an airplane. I felt so free, flying over the ocean, above the clouds. But then I got here, and…"

She stopped, and Ben wanted to ask what she was going to say. He wanted to reach for her hand, rub her knuckles, and tell her it's ok, it will all be okay now. He made a resolve that on the count of five he would…

"Hey look!" Rey cried, as her arm shot out and pointed. "Churros! Have you ever had those?"

"Uh, what?" sputtered Ben, yanked from his daydream. He followed her finger to see a white food cart not far from them with a little line forming.

"Those churros!" said Rey. "They're so good. They fill them with chocolate or caramel and add sprinkles. I haven't had one in ages. We have to get them." She started rummaging in her bag.

Ben stilled her with his hand. "I'll get them," he said. "Come on, let's go."

He expected Rey to argue, but she was so enthusiastic that she jumped up and pulled him by the hand over to the cart. While they stood in line, they chatted mindlessly about which toppings to get. Rey ended up choosing caramel, and Ben got chocolate. He reached into his swim trunks' back pocket for his wallet, and found it to be empty.

Ben started slapping all his pockets desperately. Feeling his ears burn, he looked at the churro cart man.

"I don't suppose you take Apple Pay?" Ben asked weakly. The man shook his head.

"Ren, what's wrong?" asked Rey.

"It's…my wallet," said Ben. "I must have left it at Target."

"Oh no! Here, let me grab mine." She ran over to their towels and Ben turned back to the line behind them apologetically. He wanted to bury himself into the sand at his feet and never emerge. Not only was he holding up all these strangers, but Rey was bailing him out yet again. A moment later, she ran back towards them, waving her wallet around. Ben was so humiliated he couldn't even enjoy the sight of her running in her bathing suit.

Back at their towel, Ben searched through his backpack, careful not to show off its contents, but it was fruitless. He could clearly remember pulling out his wallet in the bathroom and setting it carefully on the toilet paper dispenser. He just must not have grabbed it when he put on his new clothes, in a hurry to get out of there.

"Here," said Rey, holding out her phone. "I found the number for Target. Give them a call."

He took the phone gratefully and made the call. He explained his predicament to the operator and sat on hold while they looked for him. A new voice greeted him.

"Hi sir, we have a wallet here that one of our employees turned into Guest Services this evening. We have to verify it's yours. Can you give me your name?"

Relieved, Ben almost answered her, but caught himself and glanced sideways at Rey. She was nibbling on her churro but listening. "Um, well, there's a couple credit cards, some cash…"

"Okay, but what is the name?"

"Hey, sorry, you keep cutting in and out. Let me move." Ben spoke loudly enough for Rey to not miss it. He mouthed "I'm sorry" face at her and stepped a few paces away.

"My name is Benjamin Solo," Ben hissed into the phone as quietly as he was able.

"All right, Mr. Solo," said the friendly voice. Ben knew there was no way Rey could hear, but he still looked in her direction nervously as the employee practically shouted at him. Ben asked her to list all the things that were in the wallet, and he was relieved to hear that everything seemed to be in place. Someone could have a lot of fun with his credit limit. He was grateful for the honesty of strangers.

"We'll keep it locked up for up to a week," the employee told him. "I'll leave a note here that you have called in. Have a good night, sir."

"You too," said Ben, and hung up. He sat back down next to Rey.

"Good news?" she asked.

"Yeah, they have it," said Ben.

"Should we go get it?"

Ben knew that his financial advisor would have a fit that Ben didn't get up right then to get it, but Ben didn't want to jeopardize his night with Rey any further.

"I'll worry about it later," he said. "They've got it locked up. If we go now we'll miss the fireworks. Maybe they'll still be open when they're over. If not, I'll swing by tomorrow."

"Hopefully we can go tonight," said Rey. "I'd hate for you to have to waste money on a trip all the way out here for nothing." She handed him his uneaten churro, and Ben bit in. Some of the chocolate squeezed out the end, right onto his swim trunks. Rey giggled at him as he wiped at it with little success. His fingers were already covered in sticky chocolate.

"It's kind of a skill, eating these," she said, smiling. "Here, let me help."

Ben watched as she poured some water from her water bottle onto her towel, and started dabbing at his trunks, right on his thigh. He held his breath as she stroked gently until the stain was nothing but a spot of faded brown.

"There," she said, lifting the towel and her eyes slowly. "The rest should wash out."

Ben nodded, stuffing the last couple bites into his mouth. She handed him the wet towel, and he wiped his fingers. When he looked back up at her face, he saw her eyes fixated on his lips. His heart started pounding. She took the edge of the towel from him wordlessly and leaned in close. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at his lips, like she was making up her mind on something. Ben allowed himself to lean in just a hair closer, until their foreheads were nearly touching. He could smell the cinnamon and sugar on her lips. Finally, Rey lifted the towel and wiped next to the corner of his mouth.

"Sorry," she whispered, pulling back. "You had some chocolate smudged, and it was hard to see in the dark." She looked up. "In fact, I bet the fireworks will be starting soon."

She scooted back until they were seated side by side, facing the water.

"I hope Finn made it to Rose okay," said Rey.

"Is she the girl from work he likes?" asked Ben, remembering their conversation from the other day.

"Yes," said Rey excitedly. "He finally got the guts to text her this afternoon. I'm proud of him." Her voice changed. "Hey, I'm sorry about those questions he was asking you. He's…he's a little too protective of me. Not that he needed to be of course," she added on quickly. "I know we're not like that."

"It's okay," he said, even as he tried to process her words. "After all, I had all that practice today."

She grinned at him, her dimples visible even in the waning light.

"I'm still sorry," she said. "And then I encouraged him to leave us when I didn't even stop to think about you. I told you we were both here when I asked you to come."

Ben smiled softly at that and shook his head slightly. He leaned in while keeping his eyes steadily on hers.

"He's not the reason I came."

Rey's eyes widened. Out of the corner of Ben's eye, he saw a bright red firework illuminate the sky and water below. The display was begging to be watched, but Ben didn't want to move his gaze from the gorgeous woman before him, one side of her face bathed in the soft reflective light of the fireworks. After a few fireworks had gone off, Rey gave him a wide smile. She turned her head towards the water and scooted the slightest bit closer to Ben's side.

Following her lead, Ben lifted his eyes up to the red white and blue light above him. And this time, he didn't need a mental countdown to slide his fingers across the towel slowly until they brushed Rey's. He felt her fingers curl around his tentatively. When he chanced a peek at her, he saw her lips fighting a teeny smile. Feeling braver, he took her whole hand solidly in his larger one. Neither of them moved any more for the remainder of the fireworks show.

Ben felt his spirits soar with each burst of light that shot through the night sky. His heart thudded along with each thundering boom. Being with Rey was just like the fireworks, a perfect paradox of brightness and fear. The evening darkness surrounded them, the night sky filled with smoke as the fireworks reached their end, but Ben had never felt so alight.


	8. Chapter 8

"That's it?" Hux sputtered incredulously as he allowed the metal plates of the bench press machine to clatter down, having finished with his reps.

While Hux had been on his back lifting, Ben had recounted the events of the previous evening to his friend. After the fireworks show ended, he had been forced to drop Rey's hand as they scrambled to roll up towels and gather their things. If he had had his way, they would have stayed there talking until the crowd dissipated and the night grew chilly, but Rey reminded him that they needed to get back to Target and retrieve his wallet.

They stood side by side holding bags as they waited for their Uber near the road. Ben tried to pitch the remaining food in a trashcan to have his hands free, but Rey practically leapt after the bags.

"What are you doing?" she cried. "There's still tons of stuff there!"

"I really wasn't planning on taking any of this home," replied Ben. "I probably won't even eat it. It would just go straight to Porkins and I don't feel like carrying it just for him."

"Hey, what about me?" Rey whined in return. "I'll take it! It can be my breakfast tomorrow."

So Ben obediently held a bag in each hand in order to give Rey the world's least healthy breakfast. Thanks to the wait for a car by the busy beach, they barely made it to Target before it closed. Ben was able to convince Rey to wait in the Uber while he ran in ("Just so he won't drive away") in an effort to avoid her hearing or seeing his real name. When he returned to the car with his thankfully untouched wallet, he found her fast asleep. She stayed that way the whole drive back to Takodano Apartments. Ben had to shake her gently to get her out of the car. She startled awake and apologized again and again for dropping off as they made their way up.

Once at her apartment, he set the bags inside her door and stood awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, how much did the ride end up being?" asked Rey. "I'll Venmo you my half."

"Don't worry about it," said Ben quickly. "I mean, you've bailed me out a bunch this week, including our churros tonight."

"No way! You had to take a ride over to the beach earlier. Two rides in one night adds up."

Ben gritted his teeth.

"Fine," he finally said. "Text me your Venmo info and I'll send a request."

Venmo user "ben-solo" would definitely not be sending that request, but Ben hoped that he could just put it off long enough that she might forget all about it.

Rey shifted on her feet as the conversation fell silent again.

"Well, I'm beat," she said. "Thanks so much for coming tonight. I guess, um, I guess I'll see you later?"

"So you left?" asked Hux. "Like, seriously, that's it? C'mon man, she's obviously into you."

Ben refused to look at Hux as he adjusted the pin slightly on the weights and took his spot on the bench.

"What am I supposed to do, Hux?" he said as he slid into place. "Kiss her? Stay over? She doesn't even know who I am."

"That didn't stop you from literally jet skiing across the bay to hold her hand," said Hux, laughing. "Wow, I really wish we had been able to make the party. I'm sure that was a sight to behold."

Ben, counting reps in his head, chose not to reply. Hux wasn't wrong. Things had escalated faster the night before than he had ever foreseen. His once harmless white lies about his name and background were starting to feel much bigger and impactful. It felt odd, though, that while he had to watch his words so carefully around Rey, he felt like he could open up far more with her than anyone else.

"So why aren't you with her today?" Hux asked. "Did you ask her out again? She asked you last night, so I'm sure she sees the ball as being in your court now."

"No," said Ben, dropping the weights. "She's working."

"Why isn't Kylo Ren working?" Hux shuddered. "Ugh, why couldn't you have gone with a regular name, like, I don't know, Matt?"

"Just a little gift from Han. And we normally don't work Saturdays. There's a part-time crew for that. But Rey told me last night that she needed to take the extra Saturday shift to make up for the lost pay on the holiday. I have no idea how to respond when she says stuff like that."

"I don't know, just toss a few hundreds her way and admit who you really are?"

In response to Ben's dark glare, Hux tacked on, "or tell her you'll get her dinner when she gets off?"

Ben sat up and scratched the back of his neck. "You act like it's so easy…"

Hux shook his head ruefully. "Ben, I didn't think it was remotely possible, but I think you're worse with girls now than when we were teenagers."

"Shut up." Ben scowled as they walked over to the cubbies to take a few swigs from their water bottles. "I've done okay for myself."

"Yeah," said Hux. He set down his water and his face looked serious. "You know, you've never told me what happened with Natalie."

Ben's face shot up. "How do you know about Natalie?"

"Hey, we may not have spoken much in the last few years, but I was your Facebook friend. I think that's the only girl I saw you with on there."

Ben sighed. This wasn't his favorite subject, but Hux had shared so much of himself over the past couple months that Ben felt it was only fair to reciprocate.

"Natalie and I started dating while I was at First Order the first time, in between college and business school. Then after a couple months I had to leave to start my MBA program at Harvard and she stayed at First Order in Corellia, which ended up being the perfect arrangement for her, since she never had to actually see me."

Ben paused, and felt more than saw Hux's eyes steady on him.

"Anyway, we did the long distance thing that whole school year. Then when I returned to Corellia for the summer, I caught wind from some of our interns that she had been bragging about joining the Solo-Organa family for months. I should have known. She was always prodding me, asking if I was thinking of going into politics like Mom. Turns out she was nothing but a gold-digger with dreams of being married to a politician." He snorted. "Guess that shows that she never really knew me at all. Can you imagine me running for office? I could barely stand to pose for pictures during Mom's campaigns."

"What happened to her?" Hux asked softly.

"We broke up and she eventually left First Order to go to Crait Finance. I didn't hear from her anymore, but I know she married someone else, and honestly, good riddance. Thankfully, I never loved her, so my heart didn't break, but I've had a hard time getting close to anyone since then."

Hux nodded, taking it in. Ben knew how obvious it all seemed and was waiting for Hux to comment on it. But inside, he knew he didn't just like Rey because she didn't know who he was. He liked her for her - for her kindness, her generosity, her dimples, her smile, her bad health habits, her street smarts, her impassioned speeches, her vulnerability, for everything. She was unlike anyone he had ever met, and he felt lucky to even stand by her side, no matter where that was. The fact that she wasn't a gold digger was just a bonus – a big bonus.

He was absurdly whipped in record time, and he knew it.

"Well," said Hux slowly. "There's one thing I could help you with."

Surprised, Ben looked back at him.

"Seems like you've got a car problem," Hux continued. "I mean, I get that you take the bus, but that must suck, and what are you going to do if you guys go out again? You can't have your driver pick you guys up, nor can you drive your Mercedes. And sorry, but a 'tire technician' can't afford that many Uber rides."

"What can I do?" asked Ben.

"I had to travel a ton for a case earlier this year and last fall. I'm top tier status at Hertz. We could head over there and they'll fall over themselves to get you whatever you're looking for."

"Rent a car?" Ben thought for a second. "That's not a bad idea. Are you sure you can take me there? Doesn't Gwen want you home?"

"Are you kidding?" Hux scoffed. "She'll want the whole story. She's super invested in your little saga, you know. I already texted her that you guys held hands and I got this."

He held us his phone to show Ben a text that had four shocked face emojis. Ben rolled his eyes.

"You guys sure think I'm pathetic."

Hux laughed merrily. "Nah. When you're married you depend on your single friends for drama. It's all we have. I think I fell asleep at 9 PM last night."

The two Googled the nearest Hertz location and quickly made their way there in Hux's car. It was already the afternoon, and the rental place had limited Saturday hours.

Hux's prediction had been correct in that the employee looked up his account and immediately acted like it was her solemn duty to make him the happiest customer on Earth.

"It's actually on behalf of my friend here," Hux told her, pointing back at Ben. "You can help him out, can't you?"

"Of course, Sir," said the girl hastily. She turned to Ben. "Sir, we have a lot of cars out for the holiday weekend, but we still have plenty of options." She typed for a minute. "Oh, great! We have a Cadillac XT5 in stock. Or if you're looking for something smaller, we have an Infiniti Q60."

"Ummm." Ben couldn't meet her eyes. "Do you have anything, um, less expensive?"

"Oh Sir, the upgrade is complimentary. You can take a quick walk out to the lot and pick one if you'd prefer. Our Prestige Collection is on Row C. Feel free to climb in each one and look around."

"Okay," said Ben. "Okay." He had no idea how to downgrade. Hux stepped in, grinning madly.

"Sarah," Hux addressed her, looking at her nametag. "Let me cut to the chase. What is the worst car you have? Ben here is trying to impress a girl."

Sarah made a confused expression and her eyes darted between the two men rapidly. Ben felt like sinking into the dirty rug under his feet. It was becoming a familiar feeling.

"I'm sorry, worst car?" she responded. "Like, the least expensive?"

"Yes Ma'am," said Hux. "Least expensive, most miles on it, the works. If there's a few dents or scratches, that's even better."

Sarah's eyebrows were knitted in confusion, but she was the picture of politeness as she searched her system.

"I've got a Nissan Versa with 43,000 miles," she said after a minute. "That's the highest mileage I've seen. They usually sell them before they get that high."

"That's the one!" yelled Hux. The three got started on paperwork. When they were almost done, Ben felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out to see a text from Rey.

 _ **Hey, I got off early today so I brought you some cookies for your housewarming gift. Your roommate said you were still at your parents? Hope you're having a good day. :)**_

Ben flew into panic mode. On Thursday, he had texted Porkins to tell him that if anyone ever stopped by over the weekend, to tell them he had stayed at his parents'. But he had forgotten to have Porkins adjust his cover story with the changed circumstances last night. Before he could craft a response to Rey, however, he shot a text to Porkins.

 _ **DON'T EAT MY COOKIES**_

He switched contacts to compose a message to Rey.

 _ **Thank you! Can't wait to eat them, if Porkins hasn't already.**_

Just then, a message came in from Porkins.

 _ **Too late bro**_

Ben clenched his jaw and typed another text to Rey.

 _ **I didn't see Porkins last night and left early today to run some errands so he must have assumed I was still at my parents'. I'm actually out getting a car.**_

Ben finished his paperwork and followed Hux and Sarah out to the lot to see his new car. The car was a basic silver color and resembled a fair portion of the cars that came through the shop, which Ben saw as a good sign. He thanked both of them and slid the driver's seat way back. Hux raised his eyebrows suggestively and made a gesture with his hand that resembled a phone call while Sarah continued to watch them curiously. His phone buzzed.

 _ **Wow, really? That's awesome! Let me know if you need my expert opinion on which model will require the least amount of maintenance. ;)**_

He smiled and typed back.

 _ **You're right, I should have asked you. But I'm actually wrapping up. I got a Nissan Versa. I'll be taking it to work from now on so I can give you rides whenever you want.**_

Ben knew he should leave the parking lot but he didn't want to miss anything that Rey sent and didn't want to text while driving. He was a little out of practice driving in the first place.

 ** _That is so nice of you! I wouldn't want to be a bother though._**

Ben laughed humorlessly to himself.

 _ **You're never a bother, Rey.**_

Ben rolled down his window and called out to Hux.

"If I ask her out, what do we do?"

"Why not just dinner?" responded Hux, shrugging.

"But where? I can't exactly take her to Le Toit like I normally would. I need to find some hellhole if I'm going to make the night good."

Ben pointedly avoided looking at Sarah, whose eyes were surely popping out of her head by now.

"Just do a Yelp search you idiot," said Hux, grinning. "Good luck Ren!"

Ben typed, deleted, and typed again.

 _ **What are you doing tonight? I think it's only fair that I buy you dinner, to say thank you for the cookies.**_

He pushed send and tossed the phone in the middle console. He'd glance at any response Rey sent when he would have to stop for a moment. Maybe by then he will have caught his breath and his heartbeat will have slowed.

His phone buzzed so fast that he hadn't even started driving yet. He grabbed his phone out of the console, read it, and gave the still-lingering Hux a thumbs up through the window.

"Your roommate and I had an interesting little chat today," Rey said later, as they pulled out of the Takodano parking lot.

Ben's heart stopped as he jerked his head in her direction.

"Oh yeah, what about?" Ben tried to keep his voice casual even as the words threatened to mangle in his throat.

"About Maisy."

"Maisy?"

"You know, his cat?"

"Oh, right, right. What about her?"

"I think he's a boy." Rey giggled. "I know. It took me a minute to realize 'he' and 'Maisy' were the same cat."

"We don't really talk," said Ben.

"I imagine not," said Rey. "He didn't even know where you worked. But he's actually pretty chatty if you get him going. I figured out what he does for work. I have to say I was a little disappointed. He's a hacker, but a legit one. He does some stuff for the government. That's why it's so important for you to stay off his computer."

Ben actually knew all of that, having had his attorney run a background check on him practically as soon as he left the apartment that first day. Porkins was nothing but a harmless strange recluse, although apparently he has a cat?

"That's reassuring," said Ben.

"Anyway, did you know that a cat's nose has unique ridges like a human fingerprint? Or that they can only sweat through the pads of their paws?"

"No, I can't say that I did."

"Cat people, right?" Rey shook her head, snickering, but then sat up straight. "Wait, are you a cat person? It's okay if you are, sorry-"

"I like dogs," cut in Ben. "Although I've never had one."

"Oh, yeah, same," said Rey, relaxing again. "I'm probably a bit unfair to cats, to be honest. My first foster mom was this old cat hoarder. I don't know how social services approved her. She must have hidden them. She had like ten cats and they all cried at the same time, constantly. It was so annoying. And it was unnerving, like they were always watching me."

"How old were you?" Ben was almost afraid to ask.

"About seven. I lived there for a year. Other than the cat thing, the home was okay. She was nice. I had to leave when she got cancer. Probably from the cats."

Ben had no idea what he could say to empathize. When he was seven, he thought it was the end of the world when he got the flu and they had to postpone their trip to Disney World. But then they went a month later. And it wasn't even close to his first trip there.

"Where are we going?" Rey asked, breaking the silence. "I hope you weren't lying about dinner. I'm starving."

Ben didn't know whether to be grateful or disappointed about the subject change.

"I found a Mexican place a little bit out that had good reviews," he answered, darting little glances in her direction. "Is that okay? You can tell me if it's not."

"Are you kidding? That sounds great! I could really go for that chips and salsa bowl right now."

While they drove, Rey told him a bit about her shift earlier that day, and about the Saturday crew. Ben told her about the documentary he had watched that morning on Netflix. She rolled her eyes and called him pretentious, but then ended up asking a bunch of questions about the outcome. He told her they should just watch it together. She agreed. Once they had parked, Ben raced around to help Rey out of the car.

"I can open my own door, you know," said Rey, but she was smiling.

"I know, but it's my mom. She raised me a certain way." He held up his hands. "And trust me, there's no fiercer feminist in the world, but she's a stickler about etiquette and social decorum. She's a zillion paradoxes rolled into one lady. Sassy as hell, but the queen of propriety, all at once."

"I bet I would like her," said Rey.

"You know what," said Ben thoughtfully. "I think you would."

As they walked in, the words "maybe you will meet her" hung in the air but lingered unsaid, and the pair waited silently to be seated. Once they were guided to their table, Ben gave into the temptation to put his hand gently on her lower back. Rey looked cute as hell in a little green sundress. She also had her wavy brown hair down for the first time since he had met her. He had nearly forgotten to say hi when she opened the door to her apartment earlier, just wanting to take her in.

Once at their table, Rey dove into the menu, flipping through excitedly. After a minute, she lowered the menu slowly.

"This place is a little pricey," she said. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Ben panicked for one moment, wondering if he should have gone even cheaper in his Yelp search. He flipped through quickly, and determined that the most expensive menu item was only about $13. He couldn't help but smile at her concern.

"Oh," he said. "It's okay. Get whatever you want. I mean, you did make me cookies."

"Ha! Like fifty cents worth of ingredients!"

"I don't know how to bake at all," he said. "So they're priceless to me. And they gave me a great excuse to ask you out."

She looked up and her lips twitched at the sides. "So this is a date?"

Ben felt bold enough to respond, "yes, Rey. This is a date." He caught her eyes for as long as he could manage, and then ducked down to study his menu.

The rest of dinner was filled with light conversation and more than one chips and salsa bowl replacement. Rey wasn't lying that she was hungry. Ben loved watching her eyes light up whenever they brought out any new food to the table. With regards to himself, he found his food to be adequate. He nibbled along as Rey chatted and ate voraciously. When he eventually got his miniscule bill, he pulled out a couple twenties and stuck them in the black bill holder. He could see Rey shuffling uncomfortably in her seat, but she didn't get to pay this time. He had double and triple checked to make sure he had his credit card and plenty of cash with him before picking her up.

Back in the car, Rey turned to Ben.

"What now?"

"Um," said Ben. "Is there something else you would like to do?" He could only hope. He wasn't done spending time with her.

"Did you already have something in mind?"

"Not really," said Ben, feeling embarrassed. "But I'd like to do something else, if you want."

"Can I show you my favorite spot?"

Ben smiled. The fact that she kept opening up to him made his heart swell.

"Lead the way."

Rey's spot ended up being an elementary school playground. Ben parked and looked around nervously.

"Don't worry," said Rey. "There's never anyone here this time of night."

They got out and Ben followed her as she guided them over to an ancient swing set and plopped right down on a swing. There was a swing next to her that Ben approached with trepidation. He wasn't entirely sure it would hold his weight.

"The house I lived in growing up is a few blocks from here," said Rey. "I used to come here all the time when I first came to the States. I love to swing. It's as close to the feeling of flying someone can get."

Ben, who had hang glided, helicopter-ed, and skied, didn't really agree with her statement, but stayed silent as she began to pump her legs and gain speed. Her skirt billowed as she sailed through the air. The look on her face was pure joy, and Ben couldn't look away. Eventually, he risked taking a seat on his rusty swing but refused to take his feet off the ground.

After some time, Rey stopped pumping her legs and allowed her swing to slow down. She skidded her feet along the ground to stop completely and then twisted back and forth on her seat lazily as she looked at Ben.

"Tell me more about your family," she said.

Ben was surprised to find that her question didn't bother him.

"Well," he started, "I'm an only child, so it's just me and my parents. My mom, like I told you, is quite a lady. She's smart as a whip and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She was pretty busy when I was growing up, though, so I didn't see her as much as I would have liked." His head snapped up to meet Rey's eyes. "I'm sorry. I know how whiney that must sound to you."

"It's okay," Rey reassured him. "You're allowed to feel whatever you want." Ben nodded appreciatively. "What about your dad?"

Ben huffed and sat back in his swing. "My dad has a lot of…friends. He makes friends easily and has always been the life of the party. When I was little I wanted to be just like him. But then I got a bit older, and well, obviously, I struggled with people. And I couldn't care about the things that he cared about, and he never wanted to try to care about the things I liked. He grew more and more distant until we were practically strangers."

"Is that why you haven't been to one of their Fourth of July parties in so long?" Rey asked softly. Ben wondered if she had been thinking about that since their conversation a few days earlier.

"Honestly, Rey, I haven't seen much of them over the past ten years," admitted Ben. "At least not until I moved back a couple months ago. We're slowly rebuilding our relationship. It's good. I had missed my mom especially."

"Why did you leave in the first place?"

"Well, first it was college," said Ben. "And I wasn't the greatest son with calling or visiting, other than Christmas I guess. But then it got bad when I got my first job out of college, in Corellia. My mom…my mom…she's really….into politics. She hates big banks, and she especially hated the CEO of my company. So any time I called, she would ask what it was like working for the devil, or ask me how her enemy was doing. That got exhausting.

"And my dad, on the rare occasion that we talked, he would just ask me when I was going to get sick of finance and get a real man's job. When everything in Corellia went south, he was actually the one who suggested I move down and try to work with cars. He loves cars and Nascar and all things related."

Ben stopped his speech and noticed Rey staring with her forehead creased.

"Wait," she said. "Did you take the job at Solo to prove something to your dad?"

"I, um." Ben didn't know how to respond. Truthfully, he had expected his dad to be more impressed yesterday, or even ask him a few more questions about the garage.

"That's rubbish," said Rey. "Your dad should see what a special person you are, mechanic job or no. If you don't like cars, you should quit and find something you care about."

Ben felt fearful for a moment. "Do you want me to quit?"

"Of course not," she said. "I just think it's wrong that you should have to mold your life to fit someone else's expectations. Don't stay at Solo if you don't want to."

Her words warmed him and made him smile gratefully in her direction.

"If I hadn't started at Solo," said Ben softly. "I wouldn't have met you."

Rey's determined face instantly morphed into a giant smile. She held out her hand across the divide between their swings. Ben took it, and then gave it a little tug forceful enough to pull her off her seat. He guided her towards him until she was standing in between his legs. He looked right into her shining eyes, now level with his, and spoke again.

"And what a loss that would have been."

Nothing more needed to be said as the two stared hard at each other for a moment, warm breaths puffing between them. Finally, Rey closed the tiny gap between them and their lips met. She pulled away after just a moment, as if asking for permission to continue. Ben leaned forward, placing his hand behind her head and pulling her lips back on his. He kissed her slowly, appreciatively. His hand sunk deeper into her perfect hair, and he let go of her hand to touch her back and nudge her closer into him.

After several minutes or several hours of kissing, who knew, his body couldn't handle the small swing much longer. He pulled away just a hair, rubbing their noses gently. He looked at Rey, all blushing smiles and red-rubbed lips, her arms still draped around his shoulders.

"Oh, Rey," he muttered. "You are so beautiful." He kissed the freckles on the end of her nose that he had been staring at all week.

She beamed at him as she helped him out of the swing. He was sure his back wouldn't forgive him for a couple days, but it was worth it.

Some noises nearby in the neighborhood sent them running for the car. Ben was certain they were trespassing somehow, and the last thing he needed was to get confronted by any authorities in front of Rey.

Their mood on the drive home was bright and happy. Ben promised to show her his favorite spot from his childhood, a place near the marina in between two large rocks where you could watch the ocean, but no one could watch you. She told him that she would love to go, and Ben felt like he could believe her.

Finally, on her doorstep, Ben gave her a deep kiss goodbye. She skipped in and grabbed a couple more cookies for him before he left.

As she handed them to him, she squeezed his other hand. "This should be obvious," she said. "But I like you Ren. Thanks for tonight."

He kissed her once more, because he could. "I like you too, Rey."

Once he was alone, driving back to his condo, he reflected on his evening. He had spent far less than he had ever spent on any first date, but he had never had such a good experience. After thinking for a while, he realized that other than the glaring painful lies of his identity, he hadn't told her a single thing that wasn't true.

A/N - Thank you for your ongoing support! I absolutely love reading your comments!


	9. Chapter 9

Rey woke up unusually late, even for a weekend. Momentarily disoriented, she sprang up in her bed and grabbed her phone to check the time, before remembering that it was Sunday and the garage was closed. It was already nearly eleven. Rey relaxed and slid back onto her pillow. She had stayed up late the night before, first on her date with Ren (date, date, date, it was a date), and then rehashing every second of the evening with her roommate Jessika and her boyfriend Finch. She was grateful for both of their patience with her endless detailing, but especially to Finch for repeatedly affirming that there was no way on Earth that Ren didn't like her as much as she liked him, possibly more.

Rey unlocked her phone to pull up her messages from the night before and reread the two texts they had exchanged after he had dropped her off. On Jessika's urging, she had sent him a post-date text thanking him again and telling him what a good time she had had. Rey thumbed softly over the little word bubble containing his response, which had shown up a few minutes after she sent hers.

 _ **I had the best night I've had in a while. Good night sweetheart.**_

She hadn't needed Finch's encouragement after that.

Even though she had stared at Ren's message for an ungodly amount of time the night before, just seeing it again made Rey kick her blankets off wildly and audibly squeal. She knew she was acting like a ridiculous fifteen year old, but she didn't care. Being with Ren made her feel adored, wanted, and special. Never once had she taken someone to the old playground, but when Ren asked what she wanted to do, the suggestion just spilled out. The swing set had always signified safety to her, which to her automatically meant solitude. With Ren there, though, she had never felt so safe. With his arms around her, she felt like someone else could protect her for once.

Rey finally clicked out of her message thread with Ren, feeling slightly pathetic for how many times she could reread the same few words. She did consider checking in with him to see what he was up to, but concluded after a lengthy mental debate that it was too early, too soon, and therefore, too clingy. She messed around on her phone, enjoying her lazy time in bed. Eventually, hunger overcame her desire not to move, and she mentally settled on snacking on leftover Oreos from the Fourth as soon as she got to the kitchen.

While she was pulling on some shorts, her phone rang. She snatched it off her bed excitedly, but her heart sped up for an entirely different reason when she saw her caller ID.

Nervously, she slid to answer.

"H-hello?"

"Girl!" Plutt's booming voice came through the phone. "I need you to come down right now."

Rey took a deep breath to control her emotions before she was able to answer in a relatively calm voice.

"We both know the garage is closed today, Unkar."

He huffed in response.

"And we both know that I'm not talking about Solo."

Even though she was alone in her own bedroom, Rey instinctively looked around to see if anyone was listening.

"You know I want nothing to do with any of that."

Rey tried to speak as confidently as she could, but bit her lip, knowing what was coming.

"Girl, I got two chickens that need to be feathered by tonight or else the meat will go bad and Sam got picked up for petty theft so he's stuck at County. I'm short on hands."

Rey rolled her eyes at Plutt still using his silly code words. She couldn't imagine she was important enough for anyone to tap her phone lines, and even if they did, even the dumbest person alive could guess that Plutt was not talking about chickens.

"I fail to see how any of this is my problem," said Rey coolly, even as she knew Plutt would be more than happy to tell her.

"I'll remind you who keeps you employed," sneered Plutt straight back. "How many garages would be willing to take in a girl, a scrawny little thing, especially when I spread the word about what a lazy worker she is? And you still owe me, Girl. Forced to take you in, forced to pay for your plane ticket here when your filthy British government wouldn't put up the cash, forced to feed and clothe you for five years, and then what do I do? Give you a perfectly legitimate job in my own garage. And all I ask in return is some occasional help for your old man."

Rey shuddered. She had heard the same spiel again and again, but it never failed to chill her bones when he called himself her father, which of course only happened when it was convenient for him. The rest of the time he liked to remind her that her real father was a useless drunk, despite the fact that Plutt had never actually met him. To be honest, Rey hadn't really either. She occasionally tried to grab hold of a distant memory. The picture was faded, the words foggy and distorted, like sounds when your ears are submerged in the bathtub. But sometimes, late at night, Rey could convince herself that she could remember the sound of her father's voice. And when she was really desperate, she could hear that voice calling her his baby girl.

Her mother was another story. The courts had finally taken Rey away from her for good when she was seven, kicking off her long series of foster homes and group homes. Rey didn't need the quiet stillness of night to remember her mum's voice and the way she had always smelled of cigarette smoke. She could easily remember hugging her goodbye in that courtroom, when the judge gave them a few minutes together before her mum got sent to rehab and Rey got sent to the cat lady. Her mum had promised she'd get clean and they'd be a family, but Rey knew better.

For years, she hoped that her mystery voiced father would emerge. Social services tried to track him down but Rey's mum had no idea where he was and he was presumed to be homeless. One day when she was 12, during a visit with her caseworker, Rey happened to see a note on her file that said, "Father: Confirmed Deceased." Her caseworker felt terrible she had found out that way, but had tried to cheer her up by telling her the reason for her visit. After all that time, the system had managed to track down a living relative – a man living in Florida who was apparently her mum's previously unknown half-brother. Her caseworker told her how exciting it all was. They had begun the complicated process of moving her across borders and soon, she would get to live with her uncle in America. Wasn't it the best news?

Rey knew they were relieved to finally be rid of her. But she couldn't wait.

Rey dressed in her grubbiest clothes to prepare for a day in the filthy garage. Plutt was dumb, but he wasn't a complete fool, and he knew better than to use his Solo Tire garages for his illegal activities. Instead, he used an old radiator shop he used to run before his Solo Tire days. Rey had spent countless hours there on weekends when she was a teenager, helping him dismantle stolen cars to sell them for parts. She would chuckle mirthlessly to herself as she worked, thinking about how the other kids back at the group home were all envious she had moved so close to Disney World.

At some point while Rey was in high school, Plutt had managed to buy his first Solo franchise. He promised her a job as long as she completed the mechanics program that her high school offered through a local vo-tech school. She longed to make her own money in a real, honest way and started working at Solo Tire the day she turned eighteen, months before she got her diploma. Then she met Finn and the other guys, got her own apartment, and her life began to fall into place as she mostly steered clear of Plutt.

There were still times, like today, when he pulled her back into his disgusting world outside of Solo. Rey hoped the work today would be quick, but there were apparently two cars, so she'd probably be there until evening or even later. All of her joy left over from the high of her night with Ren vanished in a puff of smoke.

Ren! What if he contacted her? She needed to come up with an excuse. What if he dropped by? Maybe that was wishful thinking, but he only lived a couple floors away. He could come by at any moment. Rey left her bedroom and was grateful to find Jessika watching TV on the couch. Or rather, she was scrolling through her phone while the TV played in the background.

"Hey Jessika," she said. Jessika looked up and smiled.

"Hey girl," she responded. "You're up late. Did you have any sweet dreams?" She cocked an eyebrow suggestively.

Rey didn't have time to chat, so she just shook her head and said, "I have some errands to run. If Ren happens to stop by, will you tell him I'm at the store?"

"Sure, but you should really tell him yourself. I bet lover boy wouldn't mind a leisurely stroll through the food aisles with Bae."

Rey rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure we're there yet. Just do that for me, k? Thanks Jess!"

Before Jessika could ask more questions, Rey slipped out. Once in the parking lot, she looked around cautiously to make sure Ren wasn't there before making her way to the bus stop. It was going to be a long day.

"So you just push here and that's basically it."

Ben watched the black liquid start to pour down into the coffee pot. True to his word, Mitaka had been kind enough to come to his apartment on his day off and demonstrate how to brew coffee. Mitaka had bought a Mr. Coffee machine just like they had at the garage and brought it with him, as well as some expensive coffee beans that he swore would make a big difference.

"Thanks Mitaka," said Ben, a bit overcome by all the kindness he had been shown. The coffee was making a little trickle, and the air between the two men felt a bit awkward as they both stared at the stream. "How, uh, how has your weekend been?"

Mitaka looked over at Ben, wide-eyed. Ben silently cursed himself again that he somehow made his own long-time driver afraid of small talk with him.

"It's been good," he finally replied. "After I dropped you off on the Fourth, I went to a barbecue some of the people in my complex were having. I had seen a flyer but didn't think I'd be able to go, but then you gave me the time. It was nice to meet some people."

"That's good to hear," said Ben. He thought he heard something in Mitaka's voice when he said 'some people.' He decided to probe a bit. "And did you meet anyone…special?"

Mitaka instantly flushed and looked down at the counter. His normally pale cheeks looked a little bit pink and he scratched his neck.

"Yeah, I spent a lot of the night talking to someone. She's really nice." Mitaka's face cracked into an embarrassed smile and Ben couldn't help but smile back.

"That's great!" Ben encouraged. "Have you talked to her since?"

Mitaka's cheeks got even redder. "Umm, no. But I did wave to her in the parking lot as I was leaving for here."

"You know," said Ben carefully. "I've been finding that sometimes if you just take a shot, it doesn't always go badly."

Mitaka nodded a little and returned his attention to the coffee. Once the machine indicated it was ready, Ben handed him a mug. The two stood in silence while they sipped. The coffee still wasn't what Ben would call "good," but it was at least drinkable.

"Hey Ben?"

Mitaka's voice was barely above a whisper. Ben looked over to see him drumming on his mug with his fingers until his eyes finally lifted and met Ben's.

"I know it's not really my place, but if you… if you want to... talk… about… anything that's been going on, I'd be happy to listen."

The two resumed their silent drinking for what seemed like an eternity until Ben set his mug down on the counter with a definitive thud. Mitaka jumped.

"Have you had lunch?" asked Ben.

Mitaka, looking taken aback, shook his head slightly.

"If I ordered something for us, would you stay a minute?"

It was ridiculous, but Ben felt almost as nervous asking Mitaka to stay for lunch as he did asking Rey on a date. He knew it wasn't Mitaka's job to actually like him. But Ben had spent his whole morning in an emotional tornado, and having someone to talk to was too good an offer to pass up.

"Yeah, I could eat."

"That's quite a tale," said Mitaka later, wiping his mouth gently with a napkin. "I mean, I had figured out some of it." He smiled mischievously.

Ben chuckled. "I knew you had. I wondered what you thought of me."

"It's not my job to question my boss," replied Mitaka professionally.

"But you're human."

"But I'm human." Mitaka smirked at him.

The two had spent a surprisingly pleasant afternoon together, as Ben recounted his entire week over Thai food. Mitaka was an excellent listener, and Ben found that it was easy to express his fears and insecurities. He told him about Natalie, and how Rey is so different, so open and trusting. He told him everything, the kiss, the late night texting, and his terror and hope at what would come next.

Ben slid his chair back, crumpling his napkin and tossing it on the table.

"So what do you think I should do?"

Mitaka looked at him thoughtfully. Ben got the impression he was too scared to tell him what he really thought.

"It's okay," said Ben. "Just tell me. I'm an idiot."

"No, no," said Mitaka. "I think you had some strange circumstances and you allowed things to spiral out of control. You wouldn't be the first guy to do some, uh, uh, less than completely rational things, you know, to impress a girl."

Ben smiled ruefully in spite of himself. "Thanks for putting it so lightly."

"It's just," continued Mitaka, "why are you scared of telling her who you are? Especially at this point. I mean, it's obvious she doesn't like you for your name or money. She even told you she likes you."

"I'm scared at how she'll hate me when she figures out I've been lying to her," said Ben. He dropped his head into his hands on the table.

"Do you think you want a future with her?"

A future with Rey. It had only been a week, but Ben knew the answer was yes. He had never felt like this with anyone, not any of the girls he had dated, not even with Natalie. It was like every tiny gap in his mind was filled in with Rey. She permeated his every thought, infiltrated his every action. Even being away from her this long today felt like a mistake.

"Yes I do."

"Then you have to tell her the truth. You can't lie to her forever. Way I see it, every day that goes by is going to build more trust between the two of you, meaning that the truth will hurt more when it comes out. And you definitely don't want to risk her finding out from anything but your own mouth."

Ben nodded. He knew all of that, but it was good to hear it from someone else, even if it stung a bit.

"Besides," said Mitaka, "I'm no love expert, obviously, but I will take a guess that finding out that your boyfriend is secretly rich is probably not every girl's worst nightmare."

Ben knew that Mitaka was making a joke, but he couldn't find the heart to laugh. Inadvertently, Mitaka had put his finger on the real issue Ben was having.

"That's just it," said Ben softly. "The thing that really scares me… what's really keeping me from coming clean… I knew she likes Ren. What if she just doesn't like Ben?" His voice was so small by the time he finished he wondered if Mitaka even heard him.

"What makes you think she won't like Ben?"

"We have such different backgrounds. She grew up in foster homes and barely makes ends meet. She even made fun of me that day you came by for having a driver, but of course she didn't know it was me. She probably hates rich people. What if she thinks I'm selfish, shallow?"

"Do you think you're those things?"

Ben gulped. "I don't know. Am I?" He was scared to even ask. He inwardly cringed as memories of all his time with Mitaka swirled in his head. He was never really mean, he didn't think, but he was certainly distant and demanding.

Mitaka looked down and stirred his drink around with his straw. "Would you say you've learned a lot about the, um, working class in the past week? Gained a little understanding?"

Ben nodded eagerly.

"So do you think it's possible for someone to gain some opposite understanding? Like, Rey doesn't know anything about people with drivers because she's probably never met someone with a driver. If you guys would ever want to try to make this work, you'd have to share experiences. Understand each other's backgrounds and interests. It's a two-way street, you know."

Ben thought of the wasted years when he could have been using Mitaka as his therapist.

"Let me ask you something," said Mitaka. "When it's just the two of you, when you aren't fixing cars or you aren't hatching some scheme to cover your tracks or whatever, do you think it's Ren talking to her, or Ben?"

"Ben," whispered Ben. He knew it was true.

"Look, Rey is a really nice and cute, and it's clear you like her a lot. I think she deserves a shot to make up her mind about Ben Solo. Don't miss your chance. What is she up to today? Have you talked to her?"

Ben shook his head. He had thought about texting her to hang out, but worried it was too early in the day. Maybe he'd reach out closer to dinnertime.

"Did you tell your fake roommate something to tell her if she comes by again?"

"That I'm at the gym."

"But you're not."

Ben huffed. "No, I'm not. I went for a run early this morning. I had a lot of tension to burn off."

"I think you should talk to her."

"You're right," agreed Ben. He sighed loudly. "I think I need to tell her tonight." He was ready to get the heat off of him. "What about you? Are you going to ask out this girl from the party? I did give you date money, did I not?"

Mitaka grew shy again. "I didn't get her number…"

"But you live at her complex?"

"Yeah, I know her apartment number."

"Sounds like you need to head home and track her down. There's plenty of time for you to ask her to get some dinner later."

In response, Mitaka busied himself with gathering all the garbage. They cleaned up and walked to Ben's front door.

"Maybe I'll talk to her," Mitaka finally mumbled at the door. "Thanks for lunch, Ben. Do you, uh, want your car back?"

"No, I told you you should use it for a date and I still think you should. But, take it from someone who knows, you should probably tell her it's not yours." They both laughed together. Mitaka pulled the door handle. "Hey Mitaka?" Mitaka turned to him. "Thank you."

Mitaka nodded and left. Ben pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted Rey.

Rey was elbow-deep in a Pontiac when she felt her phone buzz. Plutt and his crony Simon had slipped out for a smoke, so Rey peeled off her gloves and reached eagerly into her pocket.

 _ **Hey Rey, how is your day going? Are you up to anything right now?**_

Rey was seized with excitement, longing, and disappointment all at once. She stared at the text for a moment while she thought about what she could say. It was only two o'clock, and their work at the shop was going slowly. The body of the car was the most valuable part to junk dealers, so they had to be extra careful with the pieces, needing to avoid even the tiniest scratch. Rey was grateful for the gloves Plutt gave everyone, even though they made the work a bit more slippery. Someday, someone was going to bust this operation open, and she didn't want her fingerprints anywhere near any of the parts. Still though, she dreaded the inevitable day. She knew Plutt could hire a lawyer who would throw all his underlings under the bus, including her. When that day came, she didn't know what she'd do. Any self-respecting attorney would scoff at her meager savings.

Rey imagined typing a truthful response to Ren. Sorry I can't hang out today. I wish I could, but I'm stuck working for no pay at my old guardian's illegal chop shop, who, coincidentally, you actually know. Part of her almost wanted to. She had been carrying this burden alone for so many years, barely even sharing anything with Finn. But she couldn't risk what Ren would think of her if he knew the truth. She eventually wrote as innocuous a text as she could think of.

 _ **My day's been pretty boring. I slept in pretty late, which was nice. What about u?**_

Ren responded quickly.

 _ **Went for a run and had lunch with an old friend, but honestly I've spent most of the day thinking of you. Do you have anything going on later for dinner?**_

Rey closed her eyes and basked in his words. She thought about using her grocery shopping excuse, but knew he'd offer to drive her home. And there's no way she'd be out shopping until nighttime. After checking on Plutt, she typed out a response quickly.

 _ **I'd love to do something, but I actually have plans with my old guardian this evening. I probably won't get home until too late.**_

She stashed her phone and got back to work before Plutt and Simon came back in. She felt her phone indicate that Ren had responded, but she didn't take her eyes off her work until it was completed.

It was after ten when Rey finally made her way back into her apartment. She was tired and knew she needed to sleep before her long week, but she was feeling angry and pent up. Jessika was in the kitchen, but there was only one person she wanted to talk to. Once she was in her room, she texted him.

 _ **Hey, u awake? I could use someone to talk to**_

 _ **Yes, I'm up. Can I call?**_

Rey was grateful he didn't offer to come by. She looked awful. Before she could respond, his number was calling her phone. Without worrying about how eager she seemed, she immediately swiped and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi Rey. Is everything okay?"

Rey leaned her head back and sat on her bed. Ren's voice soothed her mind. She took in her first calm breath in hours.

"Yeah," she said. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just – spending time with my guardian. There's a lot there. Brings up some stuff."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, and then remembered he couldn't see her. "No, I don't. I'd like to talk about anything else. Tell me about your evening."

Ren didn't seem to mind her topic avoidance as he told her about his night. He told her about his attempt at making an omelet, but he was reading a book while he worked. He got invested in a battle scene and forgot about his eggs, setting off the smoke alarm.

"So then I got involved in a battle of my own – me versus the smoke alarm that wouldn't quit. I eventually had to rip it off the ceiling and disembowel it to get it to shut up."

Rey laughed. "You're a monster!"

"Yes I am."

Once their laughter had subsided, Rey said, "What did Porkins think of this violent show? Did he hide Maisy away from you?"

"He wasn't there."

"You're lucky you didn't set off all the smoke alarms here. I was thinking they were all connected. Or did you?"

"I hope not. I don't think so. So anyway, I left the apartment and got take out. In fact, the burnt pan is still in the sink, a testament to my culinary failure."

Rey giggled. "I hope you at least have it soaking in soapy water. Or else you'll have that testament forever."

To help him feel better, Rey told him about the time she made a frozen pizza and used the box as the baking pan in the oven.

"Needless to say, my kitchen got so smoky you could barely see. Like your kitchen today was jealous of what my kitchen was like that day."

"Why would you ever think it was a good idea to put a cardboard box in the oven?"

"One of my foster parents used to always serve the cooked pizza off the top of the box. I realized that day that she must cooked the pizzas on a pan and set them on the box, not actually used the box as the baking pan. But it had been a good ten years since I had been in that home. All I had was the memory of watching her cut the cooked pizza on top of the box." Rey chuckled. "I had a great time explaining that to my roommate that night."

Ren told her about a guy who lived on his floor freshman year of college who made Hot Pockets in their common room microwave every day, and burned them occasionally.

"It would stink up our whole floor. I don't think I could ever eat one as long as I lived," he swore solemnly.

"You better keep out of the break room, then," said Rey. "They're Teedo's specialty."

Ren groaned dramatically, and the sound made her laugh happily. She told him about some break room food disasters she's seen over the years. Eventually, she was yawning more than she could finish her sentences.

"It's getting late, and I'm pretty tired," she said regrettably. "We have a full week of work ahead."

"You're right," said Ren. "I should let you go. I'll come by your door in the morning to pick you up for work."

"Thanks, Ren. That's really nice of you."

"I'm happy to do it. Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night."

Rey hung up and flopped back on her bed, feeling giddy once more.

A/N: You ask, who could possibly make that pizza box mistake? *raises hand timidly*

Thanks for the support!


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Ben walked to Rey's front door feeling a little nervous. The day before he had psyched himself up to tell Rey everything, but then she avoided him the whole evening. He felt a little encouraged when they talked on the phone. It seemed like she really had spent the day with her guardian, despite the fact she gave the impression that they didn't have a very good relationship. Ben wasn't eager to pry and scare her off. He hoped he had managed to cheer her up. It felt like the least he could do for her making him so happy all the time.

Still, this was the first time he'd be seeing her in person since they kissed. He had been out of the dating game for a while and wasn't sure of the proper protocol. Could he kiss her hello? Were they officially dating? Should they have established that? Maybe he should just give a hug? Ben knew he wasn't the best hugger in the world. He didn't like touching people to begin with, and when someone leaned in for a hug, he always seemed to misread where their arms were going and the whole thing became a jumbled mess. His height and breadth didn't help matters either.

With his nerves on end, he knocked on her door. Almost immediately, the door swung open to reveal a beaming Rey. Ben's heart fluttered at the sight. Before he could decide what to do or say, Rey stepped right forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him hard right on the mouth.

Well then.

Ben wrapped both arms around her waist, tugging her closer and filling in any space that was left between them.

"Good morning," she whispered, eyes locked on his.

"Good morning," he murmured back, and kissed her again. He could live forever in this moment, both of them in ill-fitting coveralls, in an old apartment hallway with decades of layers of whitewash on the wall and suspicious stains on the floor.

He was about to deepen the kiss further when Rey pulled back and smirked up at him.

"We better stop or else I'll pull you onto my couch, making us so late Plutt will fire us both."

Ben thought that seemed like an excellent idea, and nearly blurted out that he was the boss's son, they'd be fine, before throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her in. But he couldn't let his hormones control what should be a serious conversation. Also, her knee was precariously close to a certain area of his body should she not take his confession too kindly. Instead, he gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. She pulled away and locked her apartment before grabbing his hand and giving him another bright smile.

They drove to work hand in hand, as Rey gave him a rundown of what their day would likely contain.

"There will be lots of people who took their car out for the holiday weekend and had their a/c go. We see that a lot this time of year. Obviously, you won't have to deal with that. Snap is really our go-to a/c guy. We'll probably see a fair amount of flat tires too. You're getting good at changes."

She squeezed his hand as she said that, like she was so proud of his meager achievement, learning a skill they teach in high school drivers' ed. Somehow, though, that little bit of praise meant more to Ben than his last bonus at First Order. She chattered on through their drive, and Ben listened contentedly. He thought about stopping her and confessing everything, but their ride was so short. It seemed a better idea to wait until after their workday, when he could take her for dinner and bare all. He certainly hadn't wanted to tell her on the phone the night before. This was a conversation they needed to have face-to-face.

Ben's morning continued to run smoothly. Before they went in, Ben and Rey figured out that Plutt was in, and decided to play it cool as long as he was around. So they walked in separately, with Rey headed to inventory, and Ben headed to his old nemesis Mr. Coffee. He used the coffee beans Mitaka gave him, and to his amazement, was able to produce a pot of coffee that didn't look like tar. Rey came and poured herself a cup, and winked sneakily at Ben after her first sip.

Customer flow was consistent but not overwhelming, and Ben found himself actually enjoying the work that morning. He was affixing a tire, nodding along to the classic rock station playing on the radio, when all of the sudden the fans and music all turned off.

Ben, along with everyone else, turned towards the door. Plutt was standing in the doorway, looking tense.

"Everyone, I just got a call from corporate," he barked out. "We have a Code Green. I don't think we have a lot of time, so get this place looking sharp. Unroll your sleeves. Someone sweep the waiting room. And just, don't let the new guy talk to anyone." He pointed right at Ben and stormed right back inside.

Plutt's words must have meant something to everyone, because the garage was suddenly in a tizzy. Finn was yelling commands to everyone, pointing at various things around the garage that needed to be straightened out. Rey rushed by, and Ben grabbed her elbow.

"What's going on?" he hissed.

"Oh," she said. "It's a Code Green. It's a stupid term we created to signal when we're getting someone from corporate, you know, someone rich. We're always at risk for a stop-by, being that we're in the same city as headquarters. It's nothing to worry about, though. It's usually just the district manager. He just kind of moseys through, we say hi, Plutt sucks up a bit, yadda yadda." She patted him on the arm and ran off to straighten tools.

"Ren!" Finn called out to Ben, and he nodded. "I'll finish your car up. Run in and wipe down the break room. There's some Clorox wipes under the sink for the fridge and counters. Don't use it for the microwave, though. It's a health code violation. Go!"

Ben went into the small kitchen break room and pulled out the wipes. Had Finn told him to clean the fridge? He held his breath as he pulled open the door, revealing months of sticky spots and bad smells. Sighing, Ben pulled out a couple wipes and got to cleaning. The work helped distract him from his sense of foreboding. Rey may have felt confident that their visitor was no big deal, but Ben had a different idea. It was all too much of a coincidence. He hurried through the kitchen, wiping everything he saw. He googled how to clean a microwave and heated up some water to clean it with a paper towel.

He was just about to head back into the garage when he heard Plutt's booming voice from the waiting room.

"M-m-mr. Solo, this is an unexpected pleasure."

Ben sunk right back into the privacy of the break room. Of course. His dad could not miss an opportunity to make him uncomfortable. Ben kept one ear in the doorway. The building was tiny, so it was easy to hear. His heart was racing. His dad wouldn't out him, right? The anonymity was his idea after all. Rey simply could not find out this way.

"The pleasure is mine Mr…" Ben could hear his dad's voice.

"Plutt, sir. Unkar Plutt. I own this location as well as two others nearby. Let me just tell you, I am a big fan of yours. Have been for decades."

"Thank you Unkar. Always good to meet a fan."

Ben felt certain his dad had winked and clapped Plutt on the back. All his life, they had been stopped everywhere they went, the movie theater, the gas station, the park, by people who professed to be Han Solo's biggest fan. Nascar was huge in Coruscant, and Han Solo was one of the biggest names in Nascar history, as well as a hometown hero.

Ben heard some shuffling around and then more voices filled the waiting room. Ben peeked out a bit and saw all the employees and even customers crowded around his dad, with Chewie and Ackbar hovering behind. Teedo's voice came through.

"Mr. Solo, I am honored to meet you. My dad was the biggest fan of yours there was. There's a whole shrine in my parents' basement. He has your jacket, Millennium Falcon replica, everything. I grew up hero-worshipping you. There were years I would only eat cereal from boxes with your picture. My dad was so thrilled when I got a job here."

Ben had never heard Teedo sound so excited. But then, he had a lifetime of experience watching people turn into blubbering idiots around his father.

"That's great to hear," said Han. "You tell your dad that I've still got the old Falcon, safely in my garage. She's my baby. In fact, I even have my old mechanic Chewie here with me. We've been a team for decades. How about a picture for your old man?"

"Gee thanks!" cried Teedo. Ben rolled his eyes. He was certain Han was in his signature pose, with his gun fingers.

"I watched you do the Kessel Run, back in '76," said some random customer. "I was just a kid, but seeing you break that record was something I'll never forget."

"Well you know what I always say," said Han. Ben mouthed along with him. "Never tell me the odds!" Ben heard some whooping and cheering.

There was a lengthy period of some more chatting, hand shaking, and picture taking that Ben didn't care to listen to until he eventually heard Plutt's voice again.

"Mr. Solo, can I give you a tour? We've done a lot -"

"Actually," said Han. "I'm here because a little bird told me that this is the highest rated garage in the area. In fact, I looked it up myself and read your reviews. Excellent place you seem to have here, and there appears to be a reason why. Is there a Rey here?"

Ben's lips curled into a tiny smile. His dad had listened to him on Friday when he snapped back about the quality of the garage. And he must have seen Rey's name pop up again and again.

"Hi, I'm Rey." Ben heard Rey's voice come through. He felt a burst of pride as he peeked around the corner again and saw Rey shaking his father's hand. Ben knew his dad was trying not to look too surprised at what he saw.

"Rey, I've read a great deal about you, all good," said Han. He lifted Rey's hand up to his lips and winked at her. Ben gritted his teeth. "Would you mind showing me around and telling me about the place?"

"Sure!" said Rey. "But first, where's Ren? He hasn't had a chance to meet you. He must be in the break room." Ben shrank back. "Ren!" she called out. She ran back and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the waiting room.

"Wasn't your dad into Nascar? Han freaking Solo is here." She led him in front of his dad.

"This is Ren," she said. "His dad's a big Nascar fan too. Was he a Han Solo fan?"

"Yes," said Ben, finally looking at his dad. "He was the biggest Han Solo fan there was, and believe me, I've met a lot of them."

"Great to meet a fan," said Han automatically. Ben pursed his lips.

Rey, sensing Ben's discomfort, laid a hand on his arm. "Ren here is our newest team member. He's new to mechanics but is picking it all up very quickly." She smiled up at him encouragingly.

"That's great, Ren," said Han. "Kind of an unusual name you've got there. Is it short for something?"

"It's my last name," said Ben through clenched teeth. "My full name is Kylo Ren. My parents have a very cruel sense of humor."

"Well, welcome to the Solo team, Ren," Han chirped. "You from around here?"

"Uh, yeah," said Ben. "Kind of. I grew up in Coruscant, but I'm new to Coruscant Hills."

"Ren actually lives in my apartment complex, just a few minutes from here," chatted Rey brightly.

"Oh, is that so?" said Han. Ben felt his father's gaze slide over to him.

"Yeah, we discovered that on the first day he was here. What a coincidence!"

"It certainly is," said Han. Ben refused to look in his direction but he could easily imagine the knowing smirk upon his dad's lips.

"Rey's an excellent mechanic, the best we've got," Ben blurted out. "Rey, why don't you give him that tour? Mr. Solo?" He nodded as politely as he could and ducked out of view into a nearby bathroom stall. He took a minute and tried to calm his breathing. Still worried that his dad would give him away, Ben made his way out of the bathroom when he had collected himself to check on him and Rey.

Once he spotted them in the garage, Ben was pleased to see Han, Chewie, and Ackbar all looking rightfully impressed as Rey explained something. In spite of it all, Ben smiled at the scene as he hung back in the shadows. He knew that the attention was off him. He got close enough to the garage to hear Rey complimenting each team member. She suggested that Finn finish their tour, making Finn puff up with pride.

It wasn't long before everyone was shaking hands and saying their good-byes. Han, Chewie, Ackbar, Plutt, and Rey came back into the storefront. Han dutifully shook Plutt's hand and thanked him for his time. Then he turned to Rey.

"It was truly a pleasure to meet you, lovely Rey," he said. "We sure are lucky to have you on our team. You keep this place running, all right?" She grinned at him, eyes sparkling. Han winked back at her.

"And you kid!" he called out to Ben, who was just visible in the corner. "You tell your dad I say hello."

Ben scowled in return and Han chuckled. Chewie gave Ben a wry smile, and Plutt led the trio out to the parking lot. Rey came right over to Ben, who let out a long sigh.

"Ren, I am so sorry," she said quietly. "I know you have issues with your dad. I don't know what I was thinking bringing him up and pulling you out there. I was just so caught up in all the excitement, and…"

"It's okay, Rey," he soothed her. "It'll be my dad's new favorite story, I'm sure of it."

Plutt came back in, his face completely transformed from the over-the-top welcoming expression he wore only moments before. He pointed right at Rey.

"You girl!" he shouted. "Into my office!"

Ben stared after Rey as her shoulders drooped and slowly made her way into his office.

He grabbed her hand. "What's his problem? You were amazing!"

"Just leave it," she whispered. "Keep us on the down low, remember?" She pulled out her hand and went into Plutt's office, shutting the door behind her.

Finn opened the door to the garage and called out into the storefront. "Yo Ren, can you come out and give us a hand? We fell behind during that visit." His voice turned excited. "That was pretty cool, though, huh? Teedo's freaking out back here."

"Yeah, I'll, uh, be right there," said Ben without looking at Finn. Finn shut the door and Ben stepped closer to Plutt's office. There was some indecipherable shouting that became clearer as Ben got closer to the office door.

"…and you flirting your way right into Solo's lap."

"I wasn't - "

"Don't lie to me Girl! I saw you smiling at him, sticking your tits in his face. And like a sap, like all the idiot customers we get in here, Solo ate it right up. Well I can see right through your dirty tricks! You turn everyone against me! You're trying to take my garage, after everything I've done for you!"

Ben, still tense from his father's visit, began to see red. He had never been good at managing his emotions, and just being around his father automatically increased his fury tenfold.

"I swear I was just being polite!" cried Rey. "How else would you have wanted me to act?"

"Less like a tramp!" snapped Plutt, and Ben couldn't take another it for another minute. He yanked open the door. Rey gasped and whipped around. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head the tiniest bit.

Ben ignored her, too caught up in his anger to think past that very moment.

"Is this how you treat your employees?" he thundered, pointing a finger at Plutt. "On what planet is this acceptable behavior?"

Plutt stood up out of his chair behind his desk. He was short and squat, so Ben still towered over him, but Ben knew that Plutt felt like he had the power. Ben wanted to laugh in his face.

"You better not be telling me how to do my job, boy," sneered Plutt. "I've been in this industry a long time, and I think I know a thing or two about how to control my staff."

Ben felt Rey touch his arm. "It's okay, Ren," she whispered. "Let it go."

"It is NOT okay!" yelled Ben. "You're just butt-hurt that Han Solo was able to figure out in 30 seconds who's really running the show around here. You're jealous that Solo came here to see Rey."

"You have no right to speak to me this way! You're on thin ice, boy!"

Ben couldn't stop. "Rey is the best thing you've got! You know it, everyone knows it, and now Solo knows it. You better show her some respect and apologize to her." Plutt glared in return. "I said apologize!" He didn't dare look at Rey as he stared Plutt right in the eyes.

Plutt was eerily calm as he lifted one finger in Ben's direction. "You get out of this office now, and don't come back. You're through here."

"No!" Rey nudged her way in between the men. "Ren will apologize. Won't you, Ren?"

Ben clenched his fists. "I won't answer to anyone who could treat you like this, Rey. It's fine. Mechanics wasn't really for me anyway." He glared at Plutt for a moment, and stomped out. He'd call Rey later. He had probably already gotten her into enough trouble.

He heard Rey whimper behind him and then Plutt's voice. "Get back to work Rey."

The whole demeanor of the garage had shifted. Ben met the gaping faces of Finn and Snap as he walked through the storefront.

"Bye guys," Ben said. "You've been good to me. Look out for Rey, k? Tell her I'll call her later. I need to talk to her."

With that, he walked through the doors and let them snap shut behind him. As soon as he was out of earshot, he pulled out his phone and called Chewie.

"Hello!" came Chewie's loud voice.

"Hey, Chewie, it's Ben. Are you guys headed back to the office?"

"Yeah," said Chewie.

"Make sure my dad's schedule is clear as soon as you get back. I'm headed there now."

"All right. Is everything okay?"

"I'll be there soon."

Ben climbed into his rental car, still seething. He knew he hadn't handled that situation well. He could have dropped his name, made Plutt shake in his damn boots, but things were still delicate with Rey. He wanted to tell her, alone, not in the heat of anger. He was worried about any fallout that Rey might deal with, but he wouldn't apologize for calling Plutt out.

"Ben!" said his father jovially as Ben stomped in his office a little while later. "Funny seeing you again. Shouldn't you be at work?"

Ben plopped down in the chair opposite his father. "I got fired."

Han's head snapped up. "What?"

Bitterly, Ben spit out, "Go ahead and laugh. Laugh it up. Grab your buddies too, so you can all have a riot. Screw up Ben couldn't hold onto his job for longer than a week."

Han didn't laugh, though. He knit his eyebrows. "As far as I could tell, you were employed about a half hour ago. The hell happened?"

"The second you left, that asshole Plutt was yelling at Rey for coming onto you, screaming at her, calling her filthy names. I put him in his place, lost my temper a little bit, and here we are." He threw his hands in the air.

Han looked at Ben for a long while. "Rey is the girl you left our party for on Friday, isn't she?"

Ben stared at his hands. "We both know you'd already figured that out, so -"

"She clearly thinks you're Kylo Ren. Looks like you've had your work cut out for you, carrying on this charade."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," said Ben.

"Ben, if there's something I've learned, it's that women always figure out the truth. Always."

Ben stuck his hands in his hair in frustration. "Arghhh! I was going to tell her last night. Then I was going to tell her tonight. And now all this has happened. I don't know what to do."

"You still have tonight," said Han. "Tell her the truth. She's probably going to be pissed, to be honest. But if your boss is harassing her, we have another issue, one we can help her solve. We'll get her and the other employees in touch with HR, make it a top priority."

Ben nodded. He regretted storming out of there. It would have hurt to admit everything in front of Plutt, but now he was worried that Rey would think he just abandoned her there. He put his hands in his face again and growled. He was a failure, again and again.

"This Rey." Han leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "She's quite a gal, huh?"

"She's pretty special," said Ben, unable to hide a smile.

"You know, I was thinking while we were in there," said Han. "We're working with a marketing firm trying to come up with our next campaign. Young, talented, pretty, female mechanic? She might make a good spokesperson."

Ben felt his smile widen. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"That's a great idea, Dad," said Ben. Han smiled back at him.

"What about you, kid? We gotta figure out your next step, now that you're out of a job."

Ben felt his smile slide off his face.

Han continued. "Maybe we can find another garage…"

Ben clenched his fists. He listened to his dad ramble for a few minutes before he found his voice.

"Dad, I won't keep working in a garage."

"What? You're only a week into your six months…"

"Yeah, I know that, and the week I spent there was very illuminating. I learned a lot, and I'm grateful for that, but I don't think I need to stay there to benefit Solo Tire. And I want you to fight the board for me. Be on my side for once."

Ben knew he had taken his father aback. For once, he didn't have a retort. Ben took the chance to continue.

"I got a taste at what it's like to work as the lowest level employee at this company, and I didn't like everything I saw, Dad. I think I can do the most good for our workforce here, at corporate. Your employees have concerns, like holiday pay or, or, or uniform requirements. Maybe on these 'visits' to garages, you could take some time to listen to them instead of turning it into the Han Solo autograph hour."

"Ben…"

"What do you know about our scholarship program? Tell me."

Han thought for a moment. "I know we have a partnership with Coruscant U's online program for a few courses. It's available nationwide. I think there's a business course, accounting…a couple more I can't think of."

"That's not good enough. We have dedicated employees who deserve the right to finish their schooling. There's so many things we could improve and retool. And how the hell does a terrible guy like Plutt slide right under our radar for so long? We have work to do, Dad, and I know I can be an important part of it. Give me a chance to prove my worth here instead of constantly trying to morph me into someone you wish I was."

Han was silent. His wrinkled face scrunched up. "What…what makes me you think I'm not happy with the person you are?"

Ben scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Kicking me around, making fun of me to everyone you talk to…"

"I'm only messing with you because you're my kid! Just some old fashion ribbing between father and son."

"Well it doesn't feel like that!" cried Ben, his voice dangerously close to cracking. The day's emotions were catching up to him. His voice lowered. "I just want you to be proud of me." He dropped his head, feeling embarrassed.

Ben stared at the floor as he heard his dad shuffling in his chair. His dad's shoes appeared in front of his feet and he felt his dad's hands on his shoulders. He looked up and met his dad's eyes, for once looking up into them instead of down. He felt like a pathetic child all over again.

"Son, it's not the easiest thing for me to talk about feelings, but you listen to me. I love you, and I am so proud of the man you've become. I know we don't see everything the same way, but you need to know that you and your mom are the best things in my life. Not the company, not the Falcon -" Ben huffed. "Just you. And I am so, so proud that you're working here with me, but believe me Ben, I'd be proud even if you weren't. I was so proud of you when you stood up to that CEO Snoke at First Order and helped bring the whole operation down. I'm sorry your career suffered as a result, but the financial knowledge that you gained and brought back with you? It's done us a lot of good here."

Ben nodded, sniffling a little. Han clapped him on the back.

"Now kid, it looks like you have a girl to go after. Go find her, tell her everything, and let's figure stuff out tomorrow, okay?"

Ben stood up and wrapped up his dad in a hug that for once he didn't struggle to get right. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too, kid. Go get your girl."

Once he had cleared his dad's office, Ben pulled out his phone and dialed Rey. The garage was still open, but he hoped she would pick up. After a moment, he heard her voice, breathless.

"Ren! I was just about to call you!"

"Rey, is everything okay? I'm sorry I left like that. Are you in trouble?"

She laughed in a strange, maniacal manner. "No! Yes! Ren, I quit my job! After all these years, I finally told off Plutt, and I stormed out of there. He fired you for sticking up for me. I went back to work after that but I just couldn't take it anymore, so I finally went in there and gave him a piece of my mind."

Ben's breath sped up. "…And you're doing okay?" he asked carefully.

"Are you kidding me? I've never been better!" Her voice sounded strangled, overly happy, but Ben could detect a note of panic. He didn't have a chance to say anything else before Rey suddenly started heaving over the phone.

"Ohhhhhh my gosh," she said through gasping breaths. "Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. What have I done what have I done? I quit my job. I made Plutt mad. This is bad this is bad. This is so, so bad, Ren." Her breaths continued in loud huffs. Ben was worried she was hyperventilating.

"Rey, tell me where you are. I'm coming right now. We have to talk."


	11. Chapter 11

Ben practically leaped into his tiny rental car, bonking his head on the door as he tried to maneuver as quickly as possible while also holding his phone on his ear with his shoulder. He was growing concerned that Rey's hyperventilating was turning into a full-on panic attack. All of his soothing reassurances of "it will be okay" were immediately met with shrieking cries of "you don't understand!" He needed to get to her in person.

Ben was able to calm her down enough to gather that she had argued with Plutt about firing Ren, told him off, quit, and took off. She was apparently standing at the bus stop, freaking out right on the sidewalk. Ben pleaded with her to stay where she was and he would pick her up. Thankfully, she was babbling enough that he might be able to keep her on the phone until he could get there.

"And Finn, and the other guys! What if they go in there too, and Plutt fires them, and everyone is ruined because of me! It's all my fault. It's always my fault."

"Rey, shhhh. Nothing is your fault. Everything will be okay, I promise."

"It won't, it won't!"

"Just hang on."

He finally pulled up to the bus stop and took in the sight. Her face was wet with sweat and tears, and her exposed tank top was sticking to her skin in the hot, humid midday sun. His heart melted at the sight of her. Before that fateful moment in Plutt's office, he had never seen her in any way other than strong and confident. He was again filled with anger that such a terrible, pitiful excuse for a man could take away her smile, her strength, but he knew that right now he needed to only focus on Rey. He'd deal with Plutt later.

He pulled over to the sidewalk, threw his car into park, and walked to her, gathering her right under his chin. Her breaths were erratic, and he rubbed his hands up and down on her back in a way that he hoped was soothing. It must have been at least a little bit, because after a couple minutes, her breaths came in more steady and she pulled back a bit. He smiled at her, placed his hands on the sides of her face, and wiped her remaining tears with his thumbs. His heart beat wildly at the thought of how their following conversation might go, but for that tiny moment, he was going to savor the chance he had to be the one she cried on, and the way she looked up at him with complete trust and adoration, her gorgeous eyes glistening.

He gave her a kiss on her forehead and pushed some strands of her hair back to where they had slipped out of her bun. She took a gasping breath.

"I think I'm in trouble," she finally said.

"Hey, hey," said Ben. "Let's go find a better place to talk, shall we?" He helped her into the car and squeezed her hand tightly before closing her car door and getting in. Her phone rang and she jumped before relaxing when she looked at it.

"Hey Finn," she said. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay. I'm headed home. I have some things to think about… … …No, I don't really want to talk about it. Just something I should have done a long time ago… … …Yeah, I'm actually with him now… … …No, don't do anything. I can't have anyone else lose their job on my account. Please, please, promise me. And tell everyone else too." Suddenly she was smiling. "Thanks Finn. I'm sort of freaking out, but I think I'm kind of proud of myself too… … …Yep, love you too Peanut. I'll talk to you when you get off, I promise."

She hung up and turned to Ben. "He says Plutt left after me. I'm sure he was so mad." Her breathing became erratic again. Ben grabbed for her hand, but she snatched it away and put her face into her hands, crying again. "No, no, no, this is terrible."

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Ben tried to sound as calm as he could be.

She took in a long, shaky breath. "Ok. After you stuck up for me I was just stunned. First of all, Plutt's never treated me like that at work. I mean, yeah, not the best boss in the world, but on the clock, he normally keeps his distance."

Her words weren't computing fully. "Wait," he said. "On the clock?"

"So anyway," she continued, ignoring him. "I went back to work. Finn and the other guys had no idea what was going on. They were all confused and just said you had stormed out, telling them that you would talk to me later? I kept my head down for a while, but that was the last straw." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her turn towards him, eyes and voice soft. "He fired you for sticking up for me, Ren." Her voice picked up volume again. "I decided that was the last time he would pick on me, make me feel small. I went into his office and slammed the door behind me. I demanded that he call you and offer your job back. He just sneered at me and called me pathetic and needy. I threatened to quit and he told me that I came from nothing, that I was nothing, that I was lost without him, and that no one would want to hire such a useless girl."

Ben gripped the steering wheel so hard he thought it might snap.

"So for the first time in my life, I told him what I thought of him. That he was nothing but a bottom feeding creep and I didn't need him or anyone else, but that he had always needed me. That despite his strongest efforts, I ended up being a good person, better than he could ever hope to be. And that I never wanted see his fat, ugly face again as long as I lived. Then I said I quit and left and…then you called me."

They had arrived at Takodano Apartments, so Ben parked and they clambered out. They stayed silent as they made their way into Rey's empty apartment.

Once they were settled on her couch, Rey burst into tears again.

"You know what he said after I told him I quit? 'We both know you'll be back, girl.'" She let out a broken, bitter laugh. "He's right, Ren. I have to go back. I have to make this okay. I need to find him." She covered her eyes with her hands. "It felt so good for one minute to stand up to him. I've never felt so empowered. But I have to face the facts. I need this job."

Ben laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You're a talented mechanic, Rey. Trust me, you will be –"

"Don't say fine!" Her eyes snapped to his, fiery red. "I'm not like you Ren. I don't have a college degree. I barely have a high school diploma and like seven college credits. This is all I have. I've only ever worked at that garage."

"But –"

"No Ren! I know Plutt. I've known him a long time. He's the pettiest man in the world. He is going to rake my name through the mud, I just know it. It's hard enough in this world for a woman. He will make it impossible."

Ben took both of her hands and waited patiently until she was focused on him. He hated to tell her the truth with her already emotional and on the defensive, but he had no choice. She had to know she would be okay.

"Rey, I have to tell you something. This is very important. Are you ready to listen?" She nodded and pulled her hands away to wipe her eyes. "Okay then. Rey –" He took a breath, his heart threatening to bang out of his chest. "I haven't been completely honest with you. My name…my name is not Kylo Ren."

Her eyebrows came together and she scooted back the slightest bit. "What?"

"I'm sorry for lying to you. But before you say anything else, please let me explain. Can you do that for me?"

Rey's red-rimmed eyes were wide and she nodded again, apprehensively.

"My name is actually Ben Solo." He paused, waiting for his confession to take effect. The words seemed to hang above his head, like a word bubble in a comic strip. He could tell the exact moment when it sank in, and her eyes became large. She opened her mouth to shout, or cry, or something, and he held up his hand –

"Please let me get this out, Rey." She clapped her mouth shut, but her eyes were sending danger signs. "Yes, I'm Ben Solo, of the Solo Tire and Lube Solos. As in-" He sighed. "- You met my father today."

He took advantage of her silence to plow ahead. "Listen, I've already told you a little bit about my background. For a long time, I worked for a large investment banking firm called First Order. I told you I worked for a bank…I just didn't tell you that I was an executive there. I was kind of the right-hand man for the CEO, a man named Andy Snoke. Over time, I started to notice a few things that he was doing that weren't ethical, or even legal. My mom used her influence to help me to blow the whistle to the government, and he's probably going to jail, as well as a few others. But, me…well it's like I told you. The financial world is very risk-averse, so if you were connected to a disgraced firm, no one wants to hire you. So I moved back here with my tail between my legs.

"My dad gave me a job at Solo, with hope that eventually I'll take over the whole company. But a couple weeks ago, he and the board decided I should work undercover at one of his franchises, learning the business, and well, as you know, I didn't know much about cars. They gave me a new name but I swear I never meant to hurt you. My time there wasn't supposed to hurt anyone. I was going to just keep my head down and punch the clock for a few months, but then I met you and everything changed."

He paused, trying to gauge a reaction from Rey, who had not moved since the beginning of his speech. Finally, she spoke in a low voice.

"So your dad is Han Solo. And your mom?"

"Is Leia Organa." He said it with resignation.

She frowned and asked slowly, "Should I know that name?"

"She's been the US congresswoman for this district for the past sixteen years."

Rey groaned and put her face in her hands. "Oh my gosh, I didn't even know that. Like, I thought it sounded familiar but I didn't know why. You must think I'm such an idiot." She closed her eyes tightly.

"Where did you go to college, Ben?"

"Umm…Harvard. For undergrad and business school."

Her chest lifted up and down slowly, like she was trying not to cry again. After a beat, she seemed to lose her battle and her eyes flooded with tears.

"You…you don't live here, do you?"

Ben closed his eyes and ducked his head, shaking it slowly. "No, Rey. I lied about that. I'm sorry. I live in a condo downtown."

She stared at him through her tears. "You think this place is a dump, huh." It wasn't a question.

Ben grabbed her hand. "Listen, Rey. There's a couple things I've lied about. My name. My job. My apartment. My, my, my car." He waved his other hand around desperately. "But that is it. Everything else I've ever told you, about my parents, my hobbies, stupid stories from college, it's all true. Maybe I left details out to cover my real identity but I swear I'm the same guy you've been talking to for a week. I'm just a bit – a bit higher up in the company than I had let on."

"What about your car?" asked Rey, still in that strange, quiet, strangled voice.

"That car out there is a rental. My real car, well, you've actually already seen it."

Her eyes widened. "The Mercedes." She whispered it. "And wait, that man. Was he your driver?"

Ben nodded, still unsure what to say.

"So you're, like, really rich."

Ben worked his mouth uncomfortably. How does he respond to that? Yes? Yes I am?

Rey had tears flowing freely down her cheeks now. Ben was in a panic. She muttered under her breath. "I can't believe this. I just can't believe this."

Ben put his hands on her shoulders, strong and firm. "Please, sweetheart, please tell me what's on your mind. I am so, so sorry for lying. I swear I was going to tell you last night, but then I didn't see you. And I was already planning on telling you tonight, but then everything happened today…" He was rambling, and Rey just kept shaking her head in a resigned manner.

"You know," she said lowly. "When I walked out of that office today, I was terrified. I had just dismantled my whole life, but you know what I thought as I was leaving? I thought, I want to talk to Ren. Even after only knowing you for a week, I thought I had something special." Her chin wobbled. "But of course I didn't. It was all a lie." Her chest heaved and she covered her face with her hand. "That's just my life. Plutt is right. I have nothing."

"Rey!" cried Ben, heartbroken but trying to keep her focused. "No matter what happens between…us…I'm going to help you through this. This is good. We're going to take out Plutt and your job is safe. I mean, c'mon, the CEO's own son saw Plutt sexually harassing you. We'll get HR and legal on it right away…"

"It's not that simple!" yelled Rey, sitting up straight, eyes blazing. "This is way bigger than you know. You had secrets? Well I have mine too! This is not some silly corporate issue that your money and power can just will away. Plutt owns me. I mean that. Was this all some stupid game to you? You quit today and just walked out of there, knowing you'd be fine. I was so astounded and, and, and proud that you would give up your job for me. No one has ever stuck out their neck for me like that. But that job didn't mean anything to you anyway. But me? I'm absolutely screwed."

"What are you talking about, Rey? If there's something you're not telling me, you need to now. Tell me how I can help."

"No one can." Her voice was bitter and so unlike her. "It's okay, Ben, I'm glad I could help you and provide a fun distraction while you had to work at the garage. You can go back home now. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"It's not like that at all!" Ben could barely get out the words with the way his throat was constricting. He was certain he had never felt so out of control in a situation before in his life. Rey was still sitting in front of him, staring at the floor without moving, but it was like she had jumped on a moving train, rushing away from him, while he ran behind it, trying to catch up, as it drifted farther and farther away from him. He willed himself to speak.

"Rey, if you don't want to see me romantically anymore, I'll-" He gulped hard as his voice failed him again. "I'll try to accept that." Her eyes flicked up in his direction. "But I am not going to just leave you in the lurch. That night at the laundromat, I told you that you weren't alone. I meant that, Rey, no matter how you feel about me."

She didn't say anything for a long time as she stared hard at him. It went so long that Ben was bursting to fill the silence with anything, the weather, something, anything. Finally, her voice came in, tiny and barely audible.

"You still want to date me?"

Ben was so taken aback that all he could do was gape at her. Inside of his brain, a voice was yelping at him to respond. He was familiar with that voice, always at odds with his own panicky nerves. He forced his outer voice to obey the inner voice and he said, "what are you talking about, Rey? Of course I do."

"You can't possibly," said Rey, biting her lip again. "Look at you. You're rich. You're powerful. You went to Harvard. We have nothing in common. I'm just…me. I'm nothing. I have nothing. You know that dress I wore on our date? I bought it at _TJ_ _Maxx_. It's the best one I have." Her voice cracked.

"The green one? You looked lovely -"

She cut back in. "And your family! How could they accept me? Everyone knows your parents! I don't even know mine. I don't remember my dad's name and he's dead anyway and my mom is God knows where, maybe dead, maybe alive? I don't even know. You don't owe me anything, Ben."

So that was it. She didn't think she was good enough for him. He took both of her hands gently.

"Look at me. Please." Her eyes met his. They were so filled with a painful vulnerability that Ben wanted to cry, pull her into his lap, and hold her until she couldn't possibly doubt how he felt about him. But he didn't feel confident enough to take the step. "Rey, I won't lie to you anymore. I was not happy when I found out I had to work at the garage. I was angry and bitter at my dad, and very nervous about looking like an idiot on the job. I expected to suffer my way through my purgatory and never look back after that. But the second I met you, I was enamored. And then you reached out to me, a pitiful newcomer who didn't know a bolt from a screw. You saw me, my own stupid, awkward self, and liked me anyway. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. You didn't know anything about my name, or my money, or my family. You just liked me. I have no idea why. And I did everything I could just to spend one more minute in your presence."

Ben paused, and gripped her hands tighter. "I never meant to tell so many silly lies. But almost immediately, I liked you so much that I just wanted a chance to live in that world a bit longer. So I followed you onto the bus that first day and paid off Porkins to pretend to be my roommate."

One side of Rey's mouth curled up the slightest bit.

"How much?" she asked.

"How much what?"

"How much did you pay Porkins?"

"Umm, a thousand bucks a month." He grimaced.

"Oh."

"All the time we've spent together, Rey, it's the happiest I've been in a long time. I know we haven't known each other long, but I know what I want. I want to date you, Rey. I want to make you smile again and again. I've never seen anything so beautiful as your smile. I want to take you out, and spoil you, and try to make you half as happy as you make me. And honestly, you don't need to worry about my parents. They want to see me happy. Besides, after today, my dad wants to date you himself. To know you is to love you. If there's someone who's not good enough here, it's me. I don't care where you came from or who your parents are. You're not nothing. Not to me. Do you think you could give me a chance, the real me?"

Tears spilled over from Rey's eyes again, running down her cheeks in torrents.

"Yes, I want to date you Ben," she said. Ben's heart soared, and he leaned forward to kiss away her tears. She put a hand in front of his face. "But I can't. I can't date anyone. I was a fool to think I could. There's so much you don't know. I have to go back and beg for my job, and it's better for you to stay out of my life." She closed her eyes. "But thank you."

Ben leaned forward and kissed her very carefully on the forehead. She shuddered. "You need to talk to me, Rey."

Without opening her eyes, Rey nodded slowly. Another long moment of silence passed before she started talking. "Plutt isn't just my boss. He's my uncle. I moved in with him when I was 13 and lived with him until I turned 18 when he gave me the job at Solo and I got to move out. I told you I was with my guardian yesterday, and it was true." She opened her eyes and met Ben's. "I was helping him in his illegal chop shop, same as I've been doing for ten years."

Ben tried to keep his expression neutral, but his mind was racing. His lovely Rey, a criminal? But this was Plutt they were talking about. He gave her the benefit of the doubt and nodded encouragingly for her to continue.

"I swear I never wanted to. When I was young, I didn't even know the cars were stolen. He always told me I had to do it to earn my keep, and these days, on the rare occasion I help him, he tells me I owe him for raising me, threatens to take my job away, expose me to the authorities. I've always been scared to date someone seriously, because I know my life is a ticking clock. Plutt is going to get caught, and he'll out me, and I can't afford to fight it. And today I made him mad. He has so much power over me. I'll never be rid of him."

Ben wanted to stand up and punch the wall. He worked through his breathing exercises his therapist made him practice over and over until he could respond calmly.

"Thank you for telling me. I'm going to help you."

It wasn't even a question he had to wrestle with in his mind. Without waiting for a response from Rey, he pulled out his phone and dialed Hux. He hoped he wasn't in with a client. After a few rings, Hux picked up.

"Hey Ben! We on for tonight? You gotta catch me up on your love life!"

"Not now. Listen, I need the name of the best criminal attorney in the city."

"Wait, is everything okay? Are you okay? Don't talk to anyone until you have a lawyer, Ben, it's important."

"It's not me. I'm fine. I just need a consultation for a friend to figure out some things."

"Ok." Hux sounded relieved. "No one at our firm practices criminal law, so your first choice is definitely going to be Lando Calrissian. He's been doing it for ages and knows every attorney in this city, on both sides of the bench. He works at Bespin and Associates."

"Thank you Hux."

"Let me know if that doesn't work, and I'll ask around."

"K, bye."

He hung up and pulled up Google.

"You know I can't afford a lawyer, Ben."

"Well there's the advantage of having a rich boyfriend. You don't have to worry about that." His hand stilled over phone and he looked up at her. "Am I your boyfriend, Rey?" She nodded hesitantly. "Good, that's settled. Now hang tight."

He dialed and waited for the operator.

"Hi, I need a consultation today with Lando Calrissian… … …I'll pay double his rate if it's soon… … …Benjamin Organa Solo. S-O-L-O… … …Yes, I can hold."

He turned to Rey, speaking briskly. "We're in luck. He's in today. He's busy, but they're just shuffling some things around. Lemme deal with this. You can run and change. Or you can stay in what you're wearing. Whatever you want. We'll head out in a few." He softened at her expression. "Getting a lawyer doesn't mean you're a criminal, Rey. We're just going to figure out a way to get ahead of this situation and protect you."

The secretary at Bespin came back on and gave him a time. He thanked her and hung up. Rey had stood, but she wasn't moving. He looked at her quizzically.

"I can't let you do this," she said with conviction. "Pay all this money, deal with my stupid problems. You deserve someone without all this baggage."

"Honestly, I'm thrilled that you're even still speaking to me right now," he said.

"I'm really scared," she said, her chest heaving. "I've never told anyone about any of this and now I have to tell everything. I'm scared of what he'll think of me. What you'll think of me."

"I just told you about my background, didn't I? I think I know about getting caught up with a corrupt boss."

"But you turned him in. I've just been sticking my head in the sand for years."

"Yes, I did, and I was terrified. But there's a big difference between our situations. I had resources, money, people to help. And now you do too." He took her hands. "Let's not worry about anything until we hear what the lawyer has to say, okay? Will you promise to just wait until then?"

"Okay, I'll try."

He kissed both her hands and released them to let her change.

Once they were in his car headed to downtown Coruscant, Ben peeked over to see Rey giving him a funny look in the passenger seat.

"What?" He rubbed his neck self-consciously.

"Oh nothing," she said in a sing-song voice. Her eyes were mischievous. It was delightful to see her acting more like herself after the emotional turmoil of the afternoon.

He grinned. "Just tell me. Or do I even want to know?"

She reached her hand up, and started tugging on the hairs on the back of his neck. He almost groaned as she curled a few strands in her fingers.

"It's just," she started, "when you took control back there, setting this appointment up, I've never seen you like that before. I'm not gonna lie – it was kinda hot."

"Oh." Ben blushed all the way up his neck and into his ears. He was humiliated that she was brushing through his hair and could definitely feel him heat up. She pulled out her hand and giggled, before stretching out her seatbelt so she could lean over and kiss him on the cheek.

"You're cute," she said, settling back in her seat. "And I think I kind of like boss Ben."

Ben knew his neck was beet red by now, but he attempted to force his face into the world's most awkward wink. "Well this is my world, sweetheart."

It didn't come out as suave as he had hoped for, but she laughed happily and grabbed his hand for the remainder of the car ride.

Thankfully, Bespin and Associates wasn't far from Ben's condo, so he was able to pop in and change out of his coveralls before their consultation. He hadn't stopped to consider what their quick stop would mean to Rey, though.

Their first obstacle was the parking garage. He pulled into his parking spot, climbed out, and headed straight for the elevator, expecting Rey to follow behind him. When the elevator door opened and he stepped in, he found that Rey wasn't with him. He spotted her a good fifty feet away, crouched down next to a bright yellow Ferrari, admiring the hubcaps.

"Rey!" He tried to sound impatient, but he just couldn't, not with the joyous expression he saw on her face in the glint of the shiny silver. He walked over to her, allowing the elevator to close behind him.

"How I'd love to get under the hood of this baby," she said reverently. "Or better yet, behind the wheel." She turned around in a circle. "Or, any of these cars really. Except your rental, no offense." Ben was suddenly anxious to take her home to visit his dad's garage. "Say, where's yours?"

"My driver still has it. I'm letting him borrow it to take out a girl."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "That's sweet of you, Ben."

His heart swelled at how simple it seemed to be for her to make the transition to his new name, his new identity. Maybe Mitaka had been right. Maybe he had been Ben all along.

"Do you think you can pull yourself away from this exciting garage so we can head up?"

"Yes! I want to see your apartment – your real one. Although I have to say I'm disappointed I don't have an excuse to see Porkins and Maisy anymore."

In the elevator, Ben was seized with a sense of fear over what she would think of his place. When he bought it a couple months before, he had thought of it as relatively modest, but now, knowing he'd see it through Rey's eyes, it seemed ridiculous and over the top. He felt her eyes on him as he typed in a special code that allowed them to access his floor and he held his breath as they walked to his front door.

Once inside, he nervously mumbled to make herself at home. He turned around to see her looking everywhere and then gaping at the large back window where there was a balcony. She went straight for it.

"Do you mind?"

"Go for it," he said, and he watched her as she stepped out, his heart full. He followed her.

"This is incredible! An ocean view! You could watch the sunset every night if you wanted. I've never seen anything like it."

It was certainly true that he had a killer view. It was one of the top features that his realtor had boasted about. But having Rey out there with him, the view had never seemed quite so spectacular. In fact, he thought he might actually use his balcony from now on.

She walked back in and wandered around.

"I've never been in a home this big or nice in my whole life. I've never even been in this part of the city."

He followed her and kissed her on the top of her head. "Well I'm glad you're here now."

"I don't feel dressed up enough to even be in here."

She was out of her mind. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off her in her yellow sundress since she put it on.

"Stop it Rey. It's just a condo. You look perfect. I'm usually in my pajamas in here anyway, just watching tv."

She turned to his entertainment setup.

"And what a giant waste," she muttered, rolling her eyes at him. "That tv and those speakers, used to watch documentaries. Such a shame."

"Hey," he said, pointing a finger at her. "When you see the History Channel in this incredible HD, you will change your mind."

"Wow, you are a nerd," she said affectionately, before lifting to her toes and giving him a quick kiss.

"K, hold on," he said. "I'm going to run and change."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"This is probably the last time you're ever going to wear these coveralls, right?" He shrugged. They were tied around his waist, and she stroked his t-shirt clad chest. "I'm going to miss this look on you. Let me say a proper goodbye."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached up high to kiss him. She was eager, and their kiss deepened quickly. Within a few moments, he picked her up, making her squeak in the cutest way. Her legs wrapped around his waist along with his sleeves.

Between frantic kisses, he managed to get out, "I've – really – got – to – go – change."

"Mmmm," was her response. "Fine, but maybe just hang onto these things, okay?" She slid down and slapped him on the bottom, making him gulp. "You go change. I'm going to look for a snack before we go."

He threw on a suit and came back to find Rey in his kitchen, staring into his fridge.

"Hey, everything okay?" he asked.

"It's your fridge," she said, not looking up. "Sorry, but your food sucks. I don't even know what any of this is."

He came over and leaned against the fridge door, smiling at her. She turned his way and eyed him from head to toe.

"But it looks like my snack just showed up. I think I've changed my mind. This is much better than the coveralls."

He chuckled and bent his head, rubbing his neck awkwardly. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the day's many twists and turns, and especially that she was in his home, not angry with him, flirting shamelessly. It was like a dream.

Embarrassed and desperate to get the attention off of him, he handed her a banana from the counter.

"Here," he said. "You know what this is, right?"

"Hmmm," she said thoughtfully, furrowing her brow. She turned it over in her hands. "It appears to be some sort of crescent-shaped, yellowy substance?"

"Haha. Are you ready to go?"

She froze mid-peel.

"Hey," he said, kissing her on the top of her head. "You will be fine. I'm sure Lando will know just what to do." He really, really hoped so. "Then when we're done we'll go eat wherever you want. And Rey?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll be paying for dinner damn it."


	12. Chapter 12

Ben and Rey did not have to wait long outside of Lando Calrissian's office door before he emerged, his smile wide and his gesture welcoming. He led them into his office and closed the door before introducing himself and shaking each of their hands. They took their seats, Lando behind his desk and Ben and Rey in two chairs across from him.

Turning to Ben, he said, "When Elsie told me who I was seeing, I thought, 'that must be Han and Leia's boy!'"

Ben nodded stiffly.

"Well what a small world it is! I'm an old friend of your parents!"

Rey heard Ben mutter, "of course you are," before Lando kept on chatting, his voice quick and spirited.

"How is Han, the old pirate? I haven't seen him in ages. We used to play poker together, back in the eighties. What a cheater that guy was, but I'll be damned if he didn't have the best poker face I've ever seen."

"He still cheats," Ben said through his teeth.

"And your mom! What a fine lady. I made a go for her at one point, but your dad had something to say about that. But I'll tell you what, even now, I don't change the channel when her campaign ads come on, if ya know what I mean."

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Rey couldn't help but laugh out loud at the utterly horrified expression on Ben's face. It helped ease her tension a little, and she was more relaxed when Lando got to business.

"But I don't think you came here to reminisce about your parents," he said, looking between both of his guests. "What can I do for you today?"

Rey didn't know where to begin, but thankfully Ben stepped in.

"Rey has been a victim of a criminal organization for many years and needs some legal guidance on how to proceed," he said, taking her hand. She was embarrassed that her hands were sweaty and shaky, but the feel of his tightly clasped hand helped ease her anxiety a bit. She was still in awe over the fact that he not only hadn't rejected her outright because of her past, but also had immediately set out to help her. They both had had their secrets, but Ben's was a lot better than Rey's.

"And you guys are…?" Lando pointed between the two of them.

"Together," said Ben, and Rey felt her heart sing. She knew they were, but hearing Ben confirm it to someone else made the whole thing feel more real. "And I will be handling the billing."

She shrank uncomfortably, and she knew that Ben felt her discomfort, but he didn't look her way.

"All right then," said Lando. "There's a few things I need to discuss from an ethical standpoint. Since you'll be paying as a third-party, you need to understand that I am not your attorney and will only be acting in the best interest of my client, the lovely Rey." He winked at her, and she could see Ben's expression turn murderous out of the corner of her eye. She squeezed his hand. Lando chuckled. "Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I see. Anyway, Ben, you cannot suggest that she receive anything less than what we deem necessary for her best representation. And you will not be allowed in our meetings or else we will lose our attorney-client privilege. Do you understand all that?"

"Absolutely," said Ben. "Please give her your fullest attention and spare no expense." He stood up. "I guess that's my cue to leave. Do you have anything I need to fill out while I wait?"

"Check with Elsie right outside my door for billing info," said Lando.

Rey stared up at Ben, eyes wide, silently imploring him to stay. He noticed her as he turned to leave, and leaned down to kiss her head.

"I'll be right outside if you need me," he said.

Once he had stepped out, Lando smiled her way. She knew how obviously distressed she was, twisting her finger in her skirt, but she couldn't stop fidgeting.

"Rey, do you know what attorney-client privilege is?"

She shook her head, feeling dumb. Obviously Ben had followed right along with Lando much better than she had. She worried that this would be a pattern in their relationship.

"It means that anything that we talk about in confidence is protected. I can't tell anyone anything what you tell me, not in court, not to the cops, not even to Ben. That's why he had to step out, to preserve that protection."

Rey nodded, feeling a little better. She finally found her voice.

"Sir, I think you'll find there's a lot I don't know. I'm only a mechanic…"

"First, of all, let's lose this 'sir' thing. Call me Lando. And secondly, a mechanic! I bet old Han adores you. You can never get that guy to shut up about cars."

Rey laughed nervously. "I've only just met him, and not as Ben's girlfriend. Honestly, I'm a bit worried what they'll think of him dating me."

"Nonsense," said Lando, waving his hand. "Those two are the greatest people you'll ever meet. They'll love you." He leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. "Why don't you start at the very beginning of your story? Try not to leave anything out. Remember, it's my job to decide what details are important, big or small. And I'm not here to judge. You wouldn't believe who I get in this office, and I give everyone a proper defense."

Rey took a deep breath and prepared to tell her whole story for the first time in her life.

"Well, I was born in England…"

"And then I told Ben about it, just the basics, and he called you, and…here we are."

Rey couldn't believe it. Once she got going, the story just poured out. Lando had barely interrupted her through her whole tale. The first time was to hand her a bottle of water when she got a frog in her throat. The second time was when he noticed her stalling nervously whenever he jotted something down on his yellow notepad, to assure her he was just taking notes to remember stuff and to ignore him.

She had expected to feel ashamed as she rambled on, but she only felt relieved. She was getting stuff off her chest for the first time and it was a good feeling that at least one other person on earth knew everything about what she had gone through. Now, though, she waited anxiously to hear what Lando had to say.

Lando set down his pen and looked straight at her.

"Thank you for being honest and forthright, little lady," he said. "If what you say is true – and I've been doing this a long time so I'm practically a human lie detector, and I think you're telling the truth – then you are nothing more than a victim. And it is my job to keep victims out of jail. Really, it's my job to even keep a victim's name from ever appearing on a court report."

Rey nodded, wanting to smile, but still not really sure how to feel.

"So…" she finally said, letting the sound fade out.

"So that means we need to bring in law enforcement."

Rey's heart stopped. Deep down she knew they'd have to talk to cops, but the idea still terrified her. Lando must have noticed her widened eyes, because he quickly held out a hand.

"No, listen. We want the police and the DA's office on our side. We do that by going to them first." He put his index fingers together and pointed them at Rey. "No offense, my friend, but you are pretty unimportant in this crime ring. Sorry if that bruises the old ego." He winked at her, and she giggled in spite of herself. "That's a good thing. The DA – he wants the really bad guys. That makes you valuable to them, because you have info that can help. My job is to protect you when you bring them this info and help them gather evidence. We can ask for something called immunity. Do you know what that is?" Rey shook her head. "It protects you from being prosecuted in exchange for your testimony."

"Okay." Rey liked the sound of that.

"Now, you're not American, so that does complicate things, but only slightly…"

"I'm a U.S. citizen," piped in Rey, head held high. "I've been one for four years." She had been so proud of herself, after nearly a year of scrimping and saving, to finally be able to afford the citizenship application. She no longer had to worry about being deported back to a country where she knew no one if the authorities discovered their crime ring or if Plutt decided to fire her from the garage. It had been a small moment of triumph for her, something she had been able to do for herself, to protect herself, to eliminate one threat that Plutt used to keep her under his fat thumb.

Suddenly, her face crumpled. "That's another thing. I lied on the application. It asked if I had ever participated in criminal behavior and I said no. I was just so scared."

"Of course you were," said Lando sympathetically. "And why shouldn't you have been, having been abused all those years by someone you should have trusted?"

"Plutt didn't hit me."

"Doesn't matter," said Lando. "In Florida, you can abuse a child by putting them in a dangerous situation. Did you ever get hurt in his chop shop?"

Rey held up her arm to show him a long, jagged scar along her wrist.

"There you go," he said. "He also contributed to the delinquency of a minor, which is another crime. Unfortunately, the statute of limitations has run on any child abuse crimes we could get him with. That means it's too late. But…" He pointed at her again with his gun fingers. "I think we have a solid case for reporting him for human trafficking. You don't get paid for any of this, never have, correct?"

"Correct."

"So you've been his slave for, what…" He looked at his notes. "Ten years. Starting as soon as he brought you into this country. He's been threatening you and coercing you to do his bidding this whole time. That's textbook human trafficking in this state. Hopefully on top of getting him for his other crimes, we can get some justice for you. It will take time and you will probably have to gather evidence. That means putting yourself back in his world. It can be a difficult road, unfortunately. Is this something you're prepared to fight for?"

Rey stopped and thought for a moment. She had never considered herself a victim of any kind of abuse. Yes, Plutt had been a terrible guardian and all around prick, but he had never hit her or molested her. She was momentarily ashamed at her ignorance of the law that he could be accountable for anything else. If only she could have gotten some help ages ago.

It didn't take her long to make up her mind. She looked at Lando in the eyes and gave a small nod. Plutt had taken away her childhood, terrified her, made her think she'd be in his debt forever, called her nothing, yelled at her, threatened her, isolated her from her peers, darkened her future. She wanted to see him pay.

"Good. Tell you what? You ready to bring that boy back in?"

Rey smiled fully and jumped up to open the door. Ben was sitting across the hall, scrolling through his phone. She called out to him and jerked her head to invite him in. When he came in, she took his hand and looked back at her lawyer. Her lawyer!

"That's quite a girl you've got there, Ben," said Lando. "Her light shines bright despite the trauma she's endured for so long. I've gotta say, I'm very impressed."

Ben looked down at her with a soft smile. She felt butterflies take flight in her stomach.

"Yeah," he replied without looking back at Lando. "She's pretty amazing."

"Well, Rey, the best case scenario for you to turn in Plutt is to help the cops catch him in the act of something illegal. I think you know what it is you need to do."

"Yes," she replied, looking back at his desk. "I'll talk to Plutt tonight and beg for my job back."

Ben nearly jumped out of his seat.

"No way!" he cried, incredulous. "She can't go back to him. That is unacceptable."

Rey put a placating hand on his arm. She appreciated his concern, but was a tad annoyed at his heroics.

"It's okay, Ben," she said. "I've been dealing with Plutt a very long time. I can endure a bit longer. Re-establish the status quo. Eyes on the prize, right, Lando?"

"You got it."

"How will he react to you coming back?" asked Ben, his eyes still flashing dangerously.

"Oh believe me, he's expecting it." Rey sighed. "All it will take is a matter of telling him everything he wants to hear. I'll tell him he was right, that I need him after all. I know how he works."

"Do you think he'll call you in to the chop shop again soon?" asked Lando.

"Maybe," said Rey. "It had been a while before yesterday, but it does seem to happen in clusters. Plus now he'll have something new to rub in my face as how I owe him." She rolled her eyes.

"All right. In the meantime, I'll be in touch with my contacts in the DA's office. We can start building a case, and you can help by supplying evidence. Hopefully you'll have thrown Plutt off of your scent."

Rey thought of something. "I don't know if this helps, but one of Plutt's workers got picked up for petty theft. He's being held at county, or at least he was last night. That's why Plutt needed me. His name is Sam. I'm sorry, but I don't know his last name."

"That may be helpful. I'll move quickly and pass that on." Lando smiled at her and then turned to Ben. "And you, young man, your job is to help Rey stay inconspicuous. Don't pick her up from the garage in a fancy car, try to stay out of the news, Solo Tire tweets, etc. Stay out of Plutt's hair from a corporate perspective. As far as he knows, he fired some schmuck today who neither he nor any of his employees will ever see again. No one else at the garage should know your identity, either, at least for now. We don't want anyone to tip Plutt off that Rey's got connections or else the jig's up."

Rey and Ben both nodded in understanding. They talked plans for a little while longer and then promised to touch base in the morning.

Once they were safely back in the car, Ben looked at Rey apprehensively. He wasn't sure how she was taking all of this. He hadn't heard the lion's share of what she had discussed with Lando, but Lando had used the word "trauma," so it definitely wasn't good.

"Want to go get dinner?" asked Ben.

"I should probably get home," said Rey. "No point delaying the inevitable. And no offense, but I'd rather be alone when I make this call."

"Okay."

"But I am starving. Maybe we can stop on the way? There's a Chipotle closer to my apartment that'd be pretty quick."

"I've never eaten there."

"Well, then that needs to change!"

"I think I owned stock there for a while, though," said Ben thoughtfully. "But I think maybe my financial advisor sold it when the company was having some problems."

"Yeah, I think a bunch of people got sick or something. But then they gave out free burritos, so that was cool. Obviously Finn and I…" Her voice trailed off. "Wait… you have someone else handle your money?"

"Well, yeah."

"Wasn't that what you did for a career?"

"Kind of."

"That's like me paying someone else to change my car's oil! If, you know, I had a car."

"We could change that."

She laughed and shook her head. "I think that's more of a fiftieth date gift, Ben. Besides, you heard Lando. We can't do anything that might tip off Plutt."

"So you're saying I can buy you a car on our fiftieth date."

"If you can stand me for fifty dates, I feel like I'll owe you a car. A low priced, high mileage beater, of course. Don't worry; I'll keep it running."

Ben laughed. "If you can stand me that long, I'll buy you a Ferrari."

Rey looked around the car. "Where's Lando when I need him? I wonder if I can enforce that in court."

"No need for that," said Ben. "I'll be counting down."

In the restaurant, Rey rattled off her usual order to the person prepping the food.

"Would you like to add guacamole?" asked the pimpled face teenaged employee.

"Ummm…"

"Yes," said Ben definitively. "And I'll have the same."

"Is that what it's like to be rich?" she asked once they were sitting at their table.

"What?" He opened the wrappings around his burrito and poked at it with his fork experimentally.

"Just…adding the guac without thinking twice."

"What was it, a couple bucks?"

"Yeah, but that changes the price from, like, eight to ten dollars. That's significant!"

He chuckled and took his first bite. Not bad.

"Rey, when you're with me, just get what you want. Okay?"

"Okay, I'll try." She sunk into silence as she picked at her meal. Ben had never seen her not dive into her food before. He had previously noted that she attacked her food like someone was going to take it from her. Now that he knew about her past, that behavior was a lot more significant.

After a minute, he couldn't take it anymore. "I hate that you have to do this," he said angrily. "There has got to be another way. Isn't your testimony enough?"

"I don't want to, either, but it's my best shot. I can get through this. You were brave when you took down your old boss. Let me be brave too." She took a tiny bite. "And honestly, I'm not that worried about talking to Plutt. Screw him, honestly. I've been tuning him out for ten years. I'm actually nervous about telling Finn."

"Finn?"

"Yeah. He's been trying to get me to leave for years. He hates that I have to work for my old guardian, and he doesn't even know the half of it. I wish I could tell him everything, but Lando's right. The less people who know, the better."

"All right," said Ben. "But you should eat. You'll be braver on a full stomach."

"You're right," said Rey, smiling now. "It's not everyday I get the guac. I should probably enjoy it. Plus, I'm wearing my eatin' dress. Very roomy." She patted her tummy. "It's fate."

Later, Ben paced his apartment nervously. He had called off his gym time with Hux and did some reps in his spare room instead. His dinner had left him feeling pretty stuffed and sluggish, anyway, and he had brought home half of it. As far as Rey-approved food went, though, it was okay.

He had driven her home and kissed her at her apartment door. She promised to call him later. He hated leaving her alone but she insisted it was what she wanted. That had been a couple hours ago, and he didn't even dare text her.

Finally, his phone rang. He grabbed it out of his pocket.

"Rey."

"Hey Ben."

"How did it go?"

"Just like I expected. I played the pitiful needy girl, basically just the way he sees me. I apologized for everything, even 'flirting' with Han Solo. He gave me a bunch of crap, but in the end he told me to come back in the morning. Honestly, Plutt is dumb as dirt, but he's not a complete moron. He knows that his garage would hurt without me there, even if he'd never admit it."

"Did I come up?"

"No. I bet he's already forgotten you. You, um, might not get paid for the week." She giggled.

"I think I'll survive." He took a breath. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, really," she said. "Just this morning I thought I'd be under Plutt's thumb for the rest of my life. I still can't wrap my head around everything that's happened today. What a day."

Ben couldn't argue with that.

"Oh and I talked to Finn," she continued. "It was brutal, but not because he was mad. He just sounded…disappointed. It was hard to hear. I wish I could tell him everything, but I did tell him I was still seeing you, but not to tell any of the other guys. I told him I didn't want them to know I was dating someone. I'd never hear the end of it. You saw how they were when I left for that date last Thursday." She laughed fondly.

"I'm glad you have them," said Ben earnestly.

"K, so, to get Finn distracted, I asked him about Rose, you know, that girl from Chili's? They've been texting all weekend since they hung out on the Fourth, and, I quote, 'hard-core flirted at work on Sunday." He wants to ask her out for Friday, but we wants us to come. So I need you to be Kylo Ren again. No coveralls involved."

"Fine, but you have to promise to let me take you out as Ben Solo on Saturday."

"Oooh, I wonder what that entails. I don't think I can eat caviar, Ben. That's the only rich person food I know, and it sounds gross."

He chuckled. "No caviar, I promise."

"So…I googled you tonight."

"You googled me?"

"Sheesh, Ben, it's 2018. Don't sound so surprised. Anyway, there were news articles about you, you know, about your old company and your mom's campaigns, yadda yadda, but I did find out something very interesting."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Ben couldn't help but be nervous, his brain frantically searching through every minute of his life.

"Apparently I'm dating the most eligible bachelor in Coruscant."

"What? According to whom?"

"'The Coruscant Buzz.'" She sounded like she was reading off a screen. "Coruscant's Go To Source for all Things Celebrity, Fashion, and Gossip."

Ben groaned.

"They published this post a couple months ago, when you moved here. Listen- 'Buzz on the street is that the son of famous Nascar driver and entrepreneur Han Solo and longtime Congresswoman Leia Organa, as well as grandson of and heir to the fortune of legendary businessman and Senator Bail Organa, has returned to Coruscant to take over his father's company. Benjamin Organa Solo has been working as an investment banker in Corellia but is finally settling back in his hometown, hopefully for good, if his pricey luxurious pad purchase is any indicator. Most importantly, he is reportedly single. Ladies, line up at the starting line to snag Coruscant's newest most eligible bachelor. You read it here first!'"

"Wow."

"Looks like you've got your pick of all the single ladies in Coruscant."

"Um, no. If any gold diggers were looking to 'snag' me, they've all been disappointed. I barely leave my apartment, only to go to work or the gym, basically. You're the first date I've gone on since I moved back."

"You should have seen me desperately searching for Kylo Ren online last week, trying to determine if you were single. And here there are actual bloggers who make their career out of tracking your relationship status."

"All the more reason to keep our heads down for the foreseeable future," said Ben, feeling disappointed. He really wanted to show off his girl to the world.

"It's like you're on _Gossip_ _Girl_!"

"Huh?"

" _Gossip_ _Girl_! You know, the TV show about rich kids in Corellia? My roommate and I binged the whole show last year. Everything I know about rich people I learned from the show. We should watch it together so you can give me an insider's perspective. Like, you can tell me about all the people you backstabbed in prep school."

"I assure you, my prep school experience wasn't dramatic or glamorous. My social life was mostly just me and Hux playing video games and watching Lord of the Rings extended editions. No one's going to make a show about that."

"Ah, boo, let me live in this fantasy for a little while. I bet the girls all secretly pined after you. You were their Lonely Boy!"

"What?"

"Just watch the show!" She yawned loud enough for Ben to hear. "Sorry, I'm so tired. Eventful few days."

"Yeah," agreed Ben. "I'll hang up so you can get some sleep."

"I'll call you tomorrow night, k? Good luck back at the office."

"I'm disappointed I don't get to fire Plutt's ass the second I walk in the door."

"Hopefully he'll get something even worse in the end. Good night, Ben."

"Good night, sweetheart."

Ben hung up and rubbed the empty spot on the couch next to him. He was already counting down the minutes until he could see her again.


	13. Chapter 13

Ben tapped on his phone discreetly, illuminating the screen so he could check the time. He was in a meeting with the company's accountancy team, but the agenda had shifted to items that weren't relevant to any of his stewardship, and he felt his attention span slipping. He hadn't seen Rey since their dinner at Chipotle, but now that it was Friday their double date with Finn and Rose was only hours away. While he wasn't thrilled about the idea of sharing Rey all evening, he'd take whatever he could get.

If he had had his way, he would have spent the last three evenings with her, making sure she got a good dinner and enjoying her company. But she had been busy. She had had a few meetings with Lando and the DA's office, leaving her physically and emotionally exhausted.

They had plans to meet Finn and Rose at some pizza joint at seven. Rey was constantly worried that Plutt was watching her, so she told Ben to pick her up by the laundromat where they had washed clothes the week before. At that point, Rey's voice had slowed and Ben was easily able to follow her trail of thought.

"Wait…" she had said.

"Yes," Ben had cut in, feeling embarrassed. "I brought clothes out so I would have a chance to see you."

Ben hadn't been able to see her through the phone, but could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "I'm pretty flattered. Although – all that money and you didn't have quarters?"

"Yeah I definitely owe you for that," Ben had replied, cringing. "I wasn't exactly experienced in coin-operated machines."

"How about you let me wash my clothes at your condo sometime and we'll call it even?"

It was silly, but just the thought of her hanging out at his place long enough to do laundry had made him smile so wide he could barely respond.

"Ben?"

Ben jerked his head up to see about ten people around their conference table looking his way.

"Oh sorry," he blurted. "Sorry, um, what was it?"

The CFO scowled but generously caught him up.

"So now we've circled back to the request you put in the other day for franchise reports on pay discrepancies," she said.

"Great," said Ben. "When can we expect that?"

"We have some people working on it," she responded. "We have a deadline for a month from today. We are trying to get reports from all franchise owners, but there's a lot, so…"

Ben nodded. Upon his return to the office, he had looked for information on individual franchise owners' policies regarding base pay, pay raises, vacation, and holiday pay, but was unimpressed with the inclusiveness of the reports. With Han's support, he asked for specific numbers from every franchise owner in the entire company. They couldn't begin to institute changes unless they had all the info.

"We're confused, though," piped in one of the accountants. "Why are we not getting the numbers from any owners here in Coruscant?"

"We have our reasons," said Ben. "We will deal with all local franchises later."

The team all nodded, no one looking to complain about less work. Ben was determined that nothing tip off Plutt that corporate was poking around, even hearing it second-hand from any other local owners. It ate him up every day that Plutt got to keep his job, but knew that his day of reckoning would come.

Finally, Ben was in the backseat of his Mercedes, nearly home to get ready for his night.

"Hey Mitaka?"

"Yup." Mitaka looked at him in the rearview mirror. Things had changed since their heart to heart over the weekend. Not that they were chit chatting through their drives, but Ben felt like Mitaka cared. That made the few words they exchanged much more significant.

"If you were going on a casual pizza double date, what would you wear?"

"Oh, um," stuttered Mitaka. "I don't, um, date a lot, you know, usually. But, um, I'd probably just wear jeans and a t-shirt? Is that what you guys are doing tonight?"

"Yes," said Ben. "And I'm supposed to keep it quiet that I'm, well, me." He had told Mitaka some of the basics of things that had happened, trying to keep Rey's secrets private.

"I happen to know you have a drawer full of black t-shirts," said Mitaka, smirking slightly. "No one will know how much they really cost." He winked, and Ben flushed.

"It's a lot, huh." Ben didn't actually shop for himself, but his personal shopper was at Neiman Marcus.

"I don't know Rey's friends, but I'm guessing they would think that $300 for a single t-shirt is a lot, yes."

Ben winced. He remembered that his t-shirt at Target the week before had been about ten bucks.

"They're very soft," said Ben, feeling stupidly defensive. Mitaka just laughed.

"We'll let Rey be the judge of that, k? Well, here we are. Good luck tonight."

Before he climbed out, Ben reached up and put a hand on Mitaka's shoulder. "Good luck to you too. A second date. That's pretty exciting."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's good. Thanks Ben."

"Don't be nervous," said Rey, taking Ben's hand as they parked his rental car in the pizza restaurant parking lot.

"I'm not entirely convinced Finn likes me. And from where he stands, I'm just an awkward guy who can't hang onto a job."

"Trust me, Finn can be pretty awkward around a girl he likes, so he'll have no room to talk."

Ben froze. "Wait, do you…do you have personal experience with that?"

Rey shrugged. "When we first started at Solo, I think he liked me. Well, I know he liked me. He tried to ask me out. But I was technically still in high school, and believe me, I was in no emotional state to date. So we became friends instead."

"How do you know he doesn't still like you?" Ben couldn't help but let his jealousy rise.

"Come off it, Ben," said Rey, placing a hand on his arm. "That was more than five years ago. He's never mentioned it again, and he's had ample opportunities."

"Don't they make whole movies about that thing? Friends who are secretly in love? _Pride_ _and_ _Prejudice_?"

"I didn't go to college and even I know they weren't friends in _Pride_ _and_ _Prejudice_ ," said Rey, laughing. "And how about you remember that you're my boyfriend? And that I started dating you after one week, which is a lot shorter than I've known Finn." She gave his hand a tug. "C'mon, I think I see them."

They met up with Finn and his date, a short Asian woman with a big smile on her face. Ben was secretly pleased to see that Finn was in a t-shirt similar to his own. But probably not as soft, he thought to himself.

"Hi, I'm Rose," said the woman, shaking hands with both Ben and Rey. "Rey, I've heard so much about you. Finn talks about you constantly."

Ben stiffened, and Rey grabbed his hand.

"Same to you Rose," said Rey cheerfully. "Finn's been wanting to ask you out for ages."

"Re-e-ey," whined Finn.

Rose just laughed. "Well it took him long enough, then, didn't it?"

Finn coughed uncomfortably. "Let's go in, shall we?"

Inside, Finn approached the hostess. They talked for a minute and then he turned back towards them with a forlorn expression.

"Hey guys, it's a 45 minute wait."

"Here?" Rey was incredulous.

"It s a Friday night," said Finn, shrugging. His face was horrified though, and he looked apologetically at Rose.

"We could go somewhere else," suggested Rey.

"But then by the time we get somewhere else, we might as well have just stayed here," said Rose.

"And they'll probably have a wait too," said Finn. "I guess we could sit at the bar…"

Ben left the team to their crisis-mode negotiations and slid up to the maître d stand. With a quick glance back at the trio, he turned to the young hostess and surreptitiously handed her a fifty-dollar bill. Her eyes widened considerably.

"Uhhh," she said. Ben forced his eyes to meet hers and he jerked his head slightly towards his three friends huddled up like they were a football team during a time-out.

"Maybe you can figure something out," said Ben significantly before rejoining the group.

Not a minute later, Ben heard the hostess' chipper voice as she approached them.

"Looks like we have a table for you guys after all," she said with a bright smile. She grabbed a few menus. "Follow me."

Finn's face lit up with tremendous relief and Rose clapped her hands and grunted "pizza!" as they followed her to the table. Behind them, Rey looked up at Ben suspiciously. He just pursed his lips and shrugged slightly, looking up at the ceiling innocently. The hostess led them to a booth in the back of the restaurant where the four sat down and ordered drinks.

"Lucky break back there, huh?" said Finn.

"Sure was," said Rey, nudging Ben with her foot. Ben found her fingers under the table and grasped her hand. She intertwined their fingers as she, Finn, and Rose animatedly discussed pizza toppings and sizes.

"Rose, I actually tried to talk Finn out of going out for pizza tonight," said Rey. "I think it's too early in your relationship for you to discover his deepest, darkest secret." She lowered her voice dramatically. "He loves pineapples on his pizza."

Rose put the back of her hand over her forehead and pretended to faint in horror. Finn rolled his eyes and cried, "don't knock it til you try it!" He turned to Ben. "Where do you stand on this age-old issue?"

"Um, I don't really have an opinion," said Ben. "I don't eat a lot of pizza." One look at Rey told him, wrong answer, and he saw both Finn and Rose gaping at him in disbelief from across the table.

Rey reached up and ruffled his hair. "Ren here likes to do silly things like take care of his body. I know; it's sickening. I think we can conclude that Rose and I are the only ones with good taste here and will be in charge of ordering."

Rose laughed and nodded along. The two of them colluded and ordered two extra large pizzas, handing the waiter their menus. Rey leaned across the now empty space on their table, rested her head on her clasped hands, and locked eyes with Rose.

"Tell us about yourself," said Rey. "Don't leave anything out. From Finn, I already know that you're a waitress at Chili's, and that you're cute, amazing, funny, OW!"

Ben felt Finn kick Rey hard under the table. Rose shook her head, looking at the table with her lips turned up.

"Well, I'm from Hays, a small town about two hours from here. I came here a few years ago to study at Coruscant U. I'll be a senior this year – engineering."

Ben didn't miss the flash of longing on Rey's face.

"Are you in any summer classes?" asked Ben politely.

"No, nothing until fall term. I work in the lab on campus during the day and waitress at night. It's a lot, but at least there's no homework right now."

Ben nodded sympathetically.

"Anyway, so that was what really got me and Finn talking at work. I found out he was a mechanic, so we started talking engines."

Rey smiled widely. "Yes, Finn is a great mechanic."

"Yes I can tell. Once I got him started talking, he wouldn't stop. It's clear he loves his work."

"You guys, stop," said Finn, embarrassed but pleased. "Rey is the best mechanic I know. And Ren here had some potential, but now he's… What have you been up to since quitting?" He looked right at Ben.

Ben's mouth dropped. Earlier in the week, Rey had mentioned that they should come up with a story of whatever Ren does now, but then their conversation had taken another turn.

"I'm doing some financial stuff for my dad's company," he finally said. Before Finn could respond, he asked quickly, "Anything interesting happen at the garage since Monday?"

"You were there for the most interesting thing," said Finn. "When Han Solo came by. Although he did send us a fancy Keurig machine the next morning, so that was exciting. It's a lot better than whatever Rey used to brew up."

"At least I don't have to make it anymore!" cried Rey. "You lazies can all make your own damn coffee now!"

Ben already knew about the coffee machine, of course, having asked his dad to send it. Han hadn't been thrilled about the idea of gifting the machine with a complimentary letter to Plutt, a man both of them were keen to fire, but Ben knew it would help take some heat off of Rey if Plutt's ego got a boost.

That evening, Ben had gotten a phone call from Rey asking him about his role in the gift. He eventually admitted to the entire McDonald's incident, which made Rey laugh so hard she could barely speak and had to hang up to collect herself.

"So what became of poor old Mr. Coffee?" asked Ben.

"We played taps while we buried him in the backyard," said Finn solemnly.

Just as seriously, Rey added, "We buried him beside the old boom box we used before Teedo started bringing in his Bluetooth speakers. It's sacred ground."

Ben and Rose met confused eyes across the table. Finn laughed.

"Nah, man, we chucked it in the trash."

"I was a barista when I was a freshman," said Rose. "Didn't take me long to want to murder every machine in the place. I quit after my first semester and have never looked back." She shook her head. "Then I worked at on campus laundry for a year, and that sucked too, before starting at the lab and at Chili's. That job's not so bad." She threw a wink at Finn, who sputtered.

"Hey Finn, how's the Resistance doing?" asked Rey. She turned to Ben. "Finn plays on a basketball team at the Y." Ben was grateful to see the topic changed from college jobs, which he had never had.

Finn also looked happy at the topic change. He straightened. "I played high school ball, so it's good to keep my skills up," he explained to Ben. "It's going great. Mostly just practicing over the summer with a few friendly matches here and there. We'll start a new season in September. Say, Ren, we're always looking for new guys for the fall. We could use your height and uhhh, stature."

Ben felt the horrors of prep school come flooding in. He ducked his head and muttered, "I'm um, not very athletic."

"There is no way that's true, mate." Finn scrutinized Ben's arms.

"He lifts weights," said Rey. "Could probably lift me with one arm." She sat up proudly and Ben felt a little smug. He could feel Rose's eyes on his arms now too, and he knew Finn noticed her looking too.

"Don't you play any sports?" asked Finn. Ben felt a little defensive. He had, after all, won a sailing award in high school as well as rowed on a crew team for an entire year. Sure, they had been to pad his college applications, but those sports weren't for the weak of heart. Something told him that they wouldn't impress Finn, though. And telling a table of Florida natives that he was a pretty good skier wouldn't work either.

"Sometimes I play squash," he said, settling for a sport he once played with Hux.

"Squash?" Finn and Rose both blinked at him from across the table. There was a painful moment of silence.

"You know, squash!" Rey piped in brightly. "Duh. Played with…"

"Raquets," supplied Ben.

"Raquets!" said Rey. "C'mon, everyone knows squash! Only played by the strongest of men. Oh hey look – there's our pizza!"

Everyone's attention followed Rey's eyes to their waiter bringing two giant pizzas. A moment later, Ben felt his phone buzz and looked down to see a text from Rey.

 _ **wtf**_ _**is**_ _**squash**_

After another hour of eating and conversation, Ben felt a little small-talked out and was desperate to get Rey alone. He liked Rose and Finn, but being around most people always wore him out a little bit, especially when he had to watch over the few things he said so carefully. After the squash incident, he had mostly stuck to listening as the other three chatted animatedly. He almost protested when Finn asked the waiter for one check, but a tight pinch in his thigh kept him quiet. He was placated somewhat when he saw Finn produce a familiar fifty-dollar bill and slide it into the black bill-holder.

In the parking lot, Ben shook Finn's hand.

"Look out for Rey at the garage, k?" he asked. "I hate that she's still working for Plutt."

"I hear ya, man," said Finn, nodding. "I long for the day when I can buy that bastard out."

"Is that what you want? To own the garage?"

"Yeah." Finn rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll probably be eighty before I've saved up enough, though."

"You'd be great," said Ben truthfully. Rey smiled up at him and took his hand.

"Well, maybe someday. Anyway, Rose and I need to hurry if we're going to catch the movie. You sure you guys don't want to come?"

"Nah," said Rey. "I'm already tired and I'm going in early tomorrow to cover for Paul. He's got his grandpa's funeral."

"Weren't you there last Saturday too? Girl, you need to slow down."

"Says the guy with two jobs!"

"Whatever, Peanut. Say hi to the Saturday guys for me. See ya Monday."

After their goodbyes to Finn and Rose, Rey turned to Ben and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"You were great," she whispered against his mouth. "Thank you for coming. And I don't know what you did back there to get our table, but it made Finn's night. So thank you, even if it was maybe a bit unfair to everyone else in there." She gave him another peck on the lips. "Maybe next time we can just wait like peasants, mmmkay?"

As they walked to his car, Ben remarked cautiously, "I think Finn and Rose really like each other. You told me once you were dreading him dating. What do you think?"

She didn't answer, making his heart sink as he helped her into the passenger side. He climbed into the driver's side and was surprised when Rey practically launched herself at him. She wrapped both arms around his neck and slid across the middle console.

"No, what I was dreading was being alone," she murmured. "But I think I've got that covered, hm?"

Ben went to agree with her but was cut off by her eager lips, practically devouring him. Happily, he joined in. She barely fit in between the steering wheel and his chest but neither complained about the tight quarters. After a few indulgent moments, Ben pulled away reluctantly.

"It's still pretty light out." His eyes darted around the car windows.

"Mmm, I know," responded Rey, her eyes opening slowly. She gave him one more kiss before straightening her clothes and sliding back to her seat. Then she yawned.

"Let's get you home. Busy day tomorrow."

"You still won't tell me what you've got planned?"

"No way." Ben took her hand and kissed it gently. "I told you, it's a surprise. Are you still getting off at two?"

She nodded.

"Good. Mitaka and I will be at the laundromat at four. I know you've been wanting to get in that car."

She pouted. "But how will I know what to wear?"

"Just stay in your coveralls."

Her pout turned into a scowl. "Be serious, Ben." She looked at him with wide, vulnerable eyes, and Ben felt bad for teasing.

He kissed her lightly. "What if I promise you that we are not going anywhere fancy, no fancy restaurants, nothing like that?"

"Okay," she said, nodding.

Ben rubbed her knee and then moved his hand to put the car into reverse and back out. They drove in silence for a few moments before Rey's quiet voice came in.

"Wait. We will be eating, right?"

Ben laughed. "Don't worry, Rey. I would never dream of not feeding you."

A/N - Thank you all for all the ongoing support! I'm glad you like my silly story. 3


	14. Chapter 14

"See ya guys!" Rey called over her shoulder to the Saturday team as she punched her time card and finally got to leave the stuffy garage. She hadn't been that excited to clock out since, well, yesterday. Today's shift had felt painfully slow despite its limited hours. She could blame it on her long workweek, the fact that she wasn't with her usual coworkers, her heightened anxiety when Plutt stopped by, or the annoying stream of customers she helped, but she knew it boiled down to her eagerness to see Ben.

As she boarded the bus, she thought for the millionth time about his large hands stroking her back, barely fitting against his steering wheel as she had kissed him silly in his car. The very distracting thought had lingered throughout the day as she dazedly fixed tires and changed oil. Last night she had jumped him in his car like a high schooler both at the restaurant and then again when he dropped her off, but it was driven by more than just hormones. She craved his attention, his warmth, his soft lips. In his arms, she felt safe. She felt needed. He kissed her like he meant it, and she couldn't get enough.

She had been almost nervous the evening before, getting ready for her date. After a few days of not being able to physically see or touch Ben, she had started to wonder if it had all been some ridiculous daydream she had floated in for the past couple weeks. Why on earth should a sweet, powerful, rich, thoughtful, sexy man want her, a nobody with a truckload of baggage?

She had nearly spilled all of her insecurities to Lando over the phone on Thursday night when she casually asked if their phone calls cost money too. Lando, clearly having explained this to people time and time again, clinically recited the way he billed clients, in six-minute increments. Six minutes! That meant that just a six-minute phone call was one tenth of his hourly rate, a number she didn't know exactly but knew it to be in the hundreds. It made her head spin to think of so much money being spent on her behalf.

Lando easily read her silence following his explanation. Gently, he said, "Rey, first of all let me say – it's been a while since I've interacted much with the Solo-Organa family, but I can say this – there's a lot of money there. So don't you go worrying about that. Second, I know you and Ben haven't been involved for very long, but I spent just a few minutes with the two of you and I saw immediately how smitten that boy is. Believe me, there is nothing he wouldn't do for you."

Rey almost whispered back. "How do you know?"

Lando chuckled. "Because I've seen that face before. He looks at you like his dad used to look at his mom. There was never anyone more far-gone than that man. Oh, those two fought like cats and dogs, but when Han thought no one was looking, he was like a little puppy."

Rey tried to imagine the suave man she had met at the garage as a lovesick young man and could only laugh at the thought. But she couldn't deny that the whole exchange made her feel warm and fuzzy.

"So anyway," Lando had continued. "Just keep your head down. You're doing a great job. The DA's office has their eye on both Plutt and his buddy Sam, and they're slowly building a case. You know who to call the second you feel like you're in any danger. I'll be in touch soon."

That conversation with Lando had assuaged some of her relationship anxiety, but it wasn't until she saw Ben in the flesh the next day, waiting for her at the ridiculous covert meeting spot she had selected, that she felt confident it all wasn't a dream. His entire face had lit up when she came around the corner into his sight and she began to believe that maybe he was as happy to see her as she was to see him. He had climbed out of his car, pulled her against him, kissed her on the forehead, and whispered how much he had missed her and how perfect she looked.

Then she had to share him with Finn and Rose.

But tonight – tonight, he was all hers.

For days he had refused to tell her what he was planning for their evening. She knew tonight was significant to him, because it was their first real date where neither he nor she had to put on some façade. This was the real deal – Rey Niima, mechanic and orphan, and Benjamin Organa Solo, businessman and heir to the Organa and Solo fortunes. He knew more about her background than anyone, save only for Lando, and he still wanted to go out with her.

She still didn't know what she was going to wear.

Ben knew she was nervous about mixing with people of society. He had promised her they wouldn't go to some restaurant where she would spend the entire evening worried about how she looked or how she fit in. Eventually, she knew that if they lasted longer-term (and oh, she was beginning to hope they would) she'd have to get over her insecurities and mingle with the upper class, but she wasn't ready. Ben seemed to recognize her hesitation, willing to respect her boundaries and ease her into his world. Sweet, thoughtful, awkward, kinda stuffy Ben. She automatically smiled at every thought of him.

"Jess! Jessika!" She called out as she walked into her apartment. "You home?"

"Hey girl!" Jessika's cheery voice came in from the kitchen. "C'mere, you got something today."

Confused, Rey walked into their kitchen to find Jessika fluffing an enormous bouquet in a large glass vase.

"This came a couple hours ago," said Jessika, handing Rey a small card with her name on front. Mouth agape, Rey pulled a note card out of the tiny envelope and read the message.

 _I tried to find an arrangement as bright and beautiful as your smile. Turns out it was impossible. Counting down the minutes until I can see the real thing._

Jessika took a step back and stood next to Rey so they could both admire the flowers, in full bloom and containing every color of the rainbow.

"Damn, girl," said Jessika. "An arrangement like this seriously sets a boy back."

"No one's ever bought me flowers before," whispered Rey. Practically, she knew that flowers were a silly expense. They weren't cheap, they didn't serve any real purpose, and they died quickly. But staring at those flowers, knowing that Ben had picked them out and had them delivered for her, for no other reason than to make her smile, filled her with a delicious warmth that she was beginning to associate with Ben.

"Well, that's quite a bouquet for your first go," said Jessika, whistling appreciatively. "Everything you ever get after this is going to hurt by comparison. I can't wait until Finch gets here and sees this. I don't even remember the last time he got me flowers."

Rey laughed. "You're evil."

"I sure am. You still want to raid my closet? Apparently we gotta get to work making you look 'thanks for the enormous bouquet' good."

"Yes! I've already worn through my cutest stuff with him. I'm all out."

Jessika linked her arm with Rey's. "Then let's go!"

Rey waited outside the laundromat with a lovely, white, floral-print sundress on her body and butterflies in her stomach. Jessika had helped her with her hair and makeup, but she still worried she wouldn't measure up. She desperately tried to tamp down the feelings, reminding herself that Ben had started liking her when she was in her work uniform and covered with grease.

But then his shiny Mercedes pulled up. The Mercedes that Rey had lusted over not more than one week before. The Mercedes she never expected to see again in her life after that day. Rey self-consciously smoothed out her skirt automatically.

The back door opened and Ben stepped out. Ben, dressed to the nines in a white oxford shirt rolled to his elbows, tucked into perfectly fitting blue Chino pants with some kind of expensive looking boat shoes. Ben, peeling off Wayfarer sunglasses that probably cost her monthly rent. Ben, looking like a million bucks. Ben, smiling at her and looking her up and down.

Ben, her boyfriend.

How was this her life?

She sauntered up to him and he took both of her hands and pulled her in for a soft, tender kiss.

"You look stunning," he whispered into her ear, making her shiver.

"You sure look handsome yourself." She gave him a little shove. "And you were going to let me wear my work clothes."

He chuckled. "That's because you look beautiful no matter what."

"Speaking of beautiful, thank you for the flowers," she said. "They made my day."

"I'm glad you liked them." He kissed her on her nose. "Come, we have to get going and you need to meet Mitaka."

Rey climbed into the roomy, luxurious leather backseat and made eye contact with the dark haired driver, who turned around in his seat to greet her.

"Technically we've already met, but I'm Mitaka, Ben's driver and sometimes personal assistant."

"Good to meet you again," said Rey. "You know, I totally made fun of Ben that day for having a driver, even though I didn't know it at the time."

Mitaka chuckled. "Just don't make fun of him too much, or then I might be out of a job." He turned back around to begin driving.

"And you!" She cried out lovingly and pretended to hug the inside of the car. "It's good to see you again, too." She stroked the seats, window, and doorframe.

Ben pulled her into his side. "I'm beginning to think you like me for my car," he muttered playfully.

"Oh, you figured me out!" said Rey. "You better upgrade soon, before I lose interest."

"We did discuss a Ferrari, did we not?"

"Mmm, now you're talking." She leaned up and kissed him. After a few minutes of backseat kisses and cuddles, Rey was revising her opinion on the necessity of having a driver. She didn't even care that they weren't alone. Every time Ben pulled back to look at her with a dazed expression, she lost her mind and went in for more.

After a while, she finally became self-conscious that they were sharing a car with another human being. She straightened up and looked into the rearview mirror.

"So Mitaka," she said, and he looked up. "How long have you been driving Ben around?"

"Oh, um, I guess it's been about three years now."

Pulling herself forward, she leaned in through the two front seats. "Do you have any good stories about him?" Behind her, Ben groaned, and she flashed him a mischievous smile.

"Hmm." Mitaka looked thoughtful. "Honestly, Miss Rey, all of my best stories about Ben have come in the past couple weeks, since he started at your garage. You've, uh, put him out of his element, that's for sure."

She grinned back at Ben, who put his face in his hands.

"You know what, here's one," continued Mitaka. "Once, back in Corellia, Ben and I had to pick up a very important client to go to some event. Ben was terrified and wanted to impress him, so he made me clean the inside of the car again and again. We had to have fine wine for the drive in these crystal goblets. Ben had all these demands."

"So what happened?"

"This super powerful, rich guy got into the car and asked why they didn't just take the subway. The look on Ben's face was priceless. It turned out the guy was completely opposed to the idea of cars in the city and spent the rest of the drive lecturing a horrified Ben. I nearly dropped my phone last week when Ben texted me he was going to take the bus."

Rey laughed and turned to her embarrassed boyfriend. "Well I'm glad I could introduce you to the wonderful Coruscant Transit Authority, for a short while anyway. But I guess I can't blame you. This is much nicer."

Rey wanted to hear more stories, but Ben shut her up by kissing her again. It was a completely unfair move, but she acquiesced soon enough. After a little bit, they were interrupted by Mitaka nervously clearing his throat.

"Ah, here we are," said Ben. He climbed out and helped out Rey. Mitaka waved and drove off.

"I've never seen Mitaka so chatty before," said Ben, rubbing his neck. "You really know how to put people at ease, Rey. Of course it was all at my expense."

"I guess everyone likes to make fun of their boss. Easiest conversation topic in the world." She gave him a quick kiss. "Where are we?" She turned around and took in their surroundings. They were near the ocean, but she couldn't make sense of the parking lot they were in.

Ben didn't hear her, as he was on the phone. He hung up and said, "Chewie will be here in just a sec."

"Chewie?"

"Yeah, my dad's best friend. You met him at the garage last week."

She thought for a moment. "The tall one?"

"Yep."

A red Range Rover pulled up to where they were waiting and a giant bearded man lumbered out of the driver's seat. He walked right towards Rey with his hand outstretched.

"Rey, we meet again."

From behind her, Ben said, "Rey this is Charles Bacca, but everyone calls him Chewie. He was my dad's mechanic back in his Nascar days and has been his business partner and best friend ever since. He's like an uncle to me."

"It's great to meet you, again," said Rey.

"We've been talking about you a lot back at corporate. You made an impression, and not just because Benny here was obviously nursing a crush."

She grinned madly as she peeked back at Ben, who was scowling like a child.

"But apparently he's finally learned to talk to a pretty girl," continued Chewie. "There was one time when he was about fourteen…"

"No," cut in Ben.

Rey was delighted. "Oh please keep going," she begged. Ben turned away petulantly.

"We all went on a ski trip to Aspen and there was this New Years Eve party at our resort. Leia of course dragged him out in this monkey suit. We were seated with another family that had a girl about Ben's age. We all enjoyed watching her try to talk to him all evening. Then she asked him to dance and he threw up right there on the spot. Some of it got on her shoes."

"I wasn't feeling well that night!" protested Ben. Rey could only laugh and turned around to give him a satisfied smirk. "Happened fifteen years ago and I'll never live it down," he said bitterly.

"Oh come on," she said. "We all have embarrassing stories from that age. Course, there's no one around to tell mine so I'm safe." She tried to play it off like a joke, but her voice came dangerously close to cracking at the end.

"Let's, um, let's get going," said Ben quickly, wrapping an arm around Rey. "Chewie?"

"Hop on in."

Rey followed Ben's lead into the SUV, feeling a bit bewildered.

"Dad will be mad that you told that story to Rey before he had a chance to," Ben said to Chewie. "It's one of his favorites."

"Maybe I can just pretend I haven't heard it," suggested Rey.

"Eh, trust me, he's got an arsenal of stories he'll be dying to share," said Ben, rolling his eyes. "Although he'll probably just tell the story again, ridiculously embellished. By the end of his version, there will be vomit all over that girl's dress, in her hair, burning her eyes…"

Chewie's loud laughter filled the car. Rey took that to mean that Ben was probably right.

"Hey Chewie, you didn't tell them where we're going, right?"

Chewie held up three fingers in a salute and looked at Ben in the rearview mirror. "Nope, Scout's honor. I kept my promise. Han and Leia don't even know I'm with you."

"Good," said Ben. He turned to Rey. "I wouldn't it put it past them to come spying."

Chewie pulled off the road and drove on the beach for a minute. Rey had to appreciate the smooth ride of the SUV. She asked Chewie a few questions about the suspension system in the car and he promised he'd give her a chance to take a look sometime. They talked engines for a few more minutes until they came to a stop. She looked out her window and saw a helicopter parked right on the beach.

"What…"

Ben took her hand. "Ready to hit the sky?"

Rey clapped her other hand over her mouth.

Chewie turned around in his seat. "Ben told me you're interested in flight, so he called in a favor. Flying is a hobby of mine. I'll be taking you up in my helicopter." He got out of the car and headed over.

She took a few heaving breaths. Ben tightened his grip.

"Are you nervous? We don't have to do it."

Quickly, she shook her head. "No, I'm…I'm so excited. I can't believe you did this for me."

He looked pleased but attempted to shrug it off. "It was no big deal. Chewie was happy to help."

"He's nice." She lowered her voice and looked out the window. "But, like, where did that nickname come from?"

"I've never asked. Honestly, I don't even want to know." He grimaced and Rey laughed. Then he reached into the front seat and produced a shopping bag, handing it off to Rey. She pulled out a sunglasses case.

"I had my personal shopper pick those out in case you weren't wearing any. It can get kind of bright up there," he explained. "I hope you like them. I don't know anything about women's fashion, well, um, any fashion really."

Rey just stared wide-eyed at the gorgeous sunglasses in her hand. She slipped them on and looked at herself in her phone's reflection, not able to contain her smile. She felt like Aubrey Hepburn. She turned to thank Ben, but then thought of something else.

"Wait, what is a personal shopper?"

She could see Ben's neck turn red even through the tint of the sunglasses. "It's someone who picks out my clothes."

"You pay someone to do your shopping?"

"Um, yeah. I hate shopping. Too many years of enduring long trips out with my mom."

"Wow." She took that in for a moment. Then she remembered herself. "Well, thank you, and tell them thank you. I love them."

"Good." Ben rubbed his neck. "Good. Well, they look great. Should we go?"

Rey followed him to the helicopter. Chewie handed her a headset.

"Ben told me you'd probably want me to explain everything as we go," he said. She nodded enthusiastically. He helped her climb into a seat by his pilot's seat.

She settled in, bursting with anticipation. She hadn't been in anything that flew since her flight to America ten years before. Ben stepped inside and crouched down in front of her.

"Don't forget your co-captain," he said, before handing her another shopping bag.

Curious, she pulled it open. Her heart skipped a full beat when she saw what was inside. Breathing slowly, she pulled out an unopened box containing a pilot Barbie doll, exactly like the one she had gotten as a child.

"How did you…" Her voice came out as a breathy whisper.

Ben spoke quickly. "I know it's not the real thing, but I couldn't exactly break into your apartment and look for her. I'm sorry, I should have thought… you know what, don't worry about it. I'll just stick her back in the car."

She tightened her grip on the box as Ben reached for it. "You remembered," she said softly. "Captain Raeh." Her face broke out into a smile and Ben looked calmer. "And you wouldn't have found her in my apartment. Plutt threw her out years ago. I left her out one day and he was mad about something, and well…"

She shook her head firmly, keeping her tears at bay. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Thank you Ben. This is the most amazing thing anyone has ever gotten me. But she must have cost a fortune!"

Ben laughed nervously. "Actually, it, um, didn't. No offense, but you're not old enough for toys of your childhood to be worth that much. There were like five of them on eBay."

Rey eagerly tore off the packaging and unwound the stupid little plastic wires that held her in place. She admired the doll as Ben and Chewie finished getting everything ready. Finally, Ben sat next to her and took her hand as Chewie explained all the pre-flight sequences.

Then they were in the air. Rey laughed as her stomach swooped. The feeling was wonderful. She watched as the shoreline got smaller underneath them and she got a bird's eye view of the city she grew up. Chewie took them on a tour of the coastline, pointing out familiar landmarks.

"There's my condo," said Ben, pointing at some indistinguishable high rise in the distance. She nodded along, not admitting that she couldn't tell one building from another. They continued their tour of the city before they crossed the bay for some distance, eventually landing on an offshore island.

"Here's our stop," said Ben. "Thank you Chewie. See you at nine." He helped Rey climb out and duck carefully under the still-spinning rotors.

"Thank you Chewie!" cried out Rey. Once he had lifted up and flown off, she turned and leaped into Ben's arms. "Thank you! That was incredible!"

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kept her lifted off her feet. "I'm glad you liked it."

"And I'm proud of you."

Ben pulled back a bit and lifted one eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You didn't even throw up!"

Groaning loudly, Ben set her down and pretended to be angry as he shoved her away. "Ugh, you just killed it. Date's over."

"Ben, we were literally helicoptered in. Looks like you're stuck with me for the night," replied Rey, grinning wildly. She didn't know when she would come down from the high she felt from their flight.

He grabbed her hand and tugged her back into him. "Hmm, then I guess I need to make the best of it." He kissed her forehead before turning her in the direction of a dazzling beachside resort not far in the distance.

As they walked towards the resort, Ben told her about the private island they were on.

"My mother's parents had a getaway here that we would sail out to often when I was growing up. That was before they put this resort in. Grandfather was the one who taught me to sail. My dad doesn't like sailing. He's all about things that are motorized, so he sticks to his yacht and ski boats, but I actually liked sailing. There's something about working with the elements that was soothing even as it was stressful."

Rey thought his tone sounded wistful. "Are your grandparents still…with us?" she asked carefully.

"No, they were already older when they adopted my mom and her twin, my uncle Luke. Grandfather passed away when I was fifteen, and Grandmother when I was in college."

"Maybe…maybe we can sail sometime?" She couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness any time she referenced the future.

Ben squeezed her hand. "I'd like that. It's been a very long time since I tried, but maybe it's time to give it another go."

They approached the resort and not thirty seconds after they walked into the ornate doors, a man in a suit came rushing towards them.

"Mr. Solo, welcome. We have arranged everything like you asked."

Rey clutched Ben's hand nervously as they followed the man through the luxurious lobby. Ben had promised they weren't going anywhere fancy and here they were in a far nicer building than she had ever set foot in before. Jessika's dress was cute, but she was certain it was inexpensive.

After winding through more hallways and riding on an elevator, the trio walked onto a rooftop terrace with the most breathtaking view that Rey had ever seen. The host showed them to a solitary table and two chairs surrounded by flowers and greenery that covered every inch of the terrace. Ben pulled out her chair and took the seat across from her. On the table was a bottle of wine on ice that the host immediately uncorked and served to them before promising that someone would be with them shortly and leaving.

Ben casually picked up the menu in front of him and flipped through it while sipping his wine, but Rey couldn't take her eyes off of the ocean.

"This is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," she said, looking all around until she finally faced Ben, whose expression had settled on her. The intensity in his deep brown eyes made her heart flutter.

"You certainly are," he said, his voice low and his gaze never leaving her face.

She struggled to catch her breath. "Ben Solo, I think you're a bit of a sap," she managed to squeak out. His eyes crinkled and he gave her a tiny half smile before ducking his head and rubbing his neck.

"There's no caviar," said Ben hastily. "And better yet, no people. And I made sure there'd be a burger and fries on the menu, if that's what you want." He glanced down at the menu in front of her and she picked it up, batting her eyelashes over the top.

"Why, that is the most romantic thing you've ever said to me."

After a long, lazy, delicious dinner on the rooftop, Ben wanted to take Rey to explore some of his favorite spots on the island. The resort lent him a little dune buggy that he and and a wildly enthusiastic Rey took turns driving around the coast. He was disappointed to see that a couple of his go-to locations had been knocked out by the construction of the resort, but he was still able to find some fun places. At their final destination, he excitedly tugged Rey along as they explored a hidden cove that he was relieved to see was still as secluded and untouched as it was when he was a kid.

"Aha!" he shouted when he spotted a small waterfall in the distance. Rey looked in the direction he was turned and gasped. The early dusky sky created a purplish glow on the falling water, illuminated by the setting sun hanging low in the sky.

"To think I grew up here and have never seen anything like this," she said. "I think this is the farthest I've traveled from Coruscant Hills since I moved here."

"Do you want to go see it?"

Rey practically ran in the direction of the waterfall, stumbling a bit over some rocks in the path. As the path got more uneven, making her steps tougher in her strappy sandals, he swept her up into his arms and carried her the last portion of the way. She giggled happily and wrapped her arms around his neck, swinging her feet. Once he set her down, she reached out into the waterfall and flicked some water at Ben's face. He jerked back in surprise and she threw her arms around him again, kissing the drops of water right off his face.

"Thank you," she said solemnly, looking up into his eyes. "This has been the most magical evening of my life. It's been the perfect distraction from…everything going on."

He pulled her even closer and looked down into her eyes. "Rey, I'm sorry that you had it tough growing up. I'm sorry that you have to deal with the consequences every day. I'm sorry that it's so unfair that I had so much growing up and you had so little. And I'm sorry that you don't have anyone to tell your childhood stories. That's not fair, and you deserve so much more." He lifted a hand to stroke some hair from her face. "I want to give you so much more. You give me so much."

Tears pooled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. "I'm worried. All of this feels too good to be true. I like you so much, and I'm so scared that something from my past will ruin everything. We don't know what is going to happen."

He cupped her face with both hands. "Don't be afraid," he whispered, before kissing her gently.

"I've never felt this way about anyone," she murmured as he pulled away. Ben's heart lifted at her words.

"Neither have I," he agreed as he leaned in to kiss her neck.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Hey Ben?"

He hummed in response, still nuzzling at the slender column of her neck. He didn't ever want to stop.

"Tonight has been perfect but you don't need to pull out all the stops every time, you know. I was just as happy eating nachos and swinging."

He pulled away and smiled at her. "I know. And that's what makes you amazing. But thank you for letting me spoil you a bit. And for letting me share a place that's special to me."

She kissed him in earnest now. As he kissed her back, pulling her as tight into him as he could manage, his spirits rose high into the evening sky, higher than the heights they'd hit later with Chewie as they took in the lights of the city. Higher than the first star that was beginning to make itself known far out in the horizon.

He wondered why it was called falling in love, when he didn't feel like he was falling.

He felt like he was flying.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N -** Hello everyone! Sorry about the delay. I'm more active on my AO3 account ( dawninthemtn) and sometimes I forget to update here. That's so unfair because I also love and appreciate all my FF readers! Thank you to those of you who have reached out asking about updates! Hope you enjoy this. The next two chapters (finishing the story, other than a short epilogue yet to come) will go up very shortly. Without further ado...

"I promise you, you'll like it next time if you just give it a chance. That place was garbage anyway."

"No way, Ben Solo. I will never try sushi again as long as I live." Rey held up her hand in solemn promise as the two made their way from Ben's car to her apartment. After a couple months of dating, Rey had finally relented that Plutt probably wasn't hiding in the bushes of Takodano Apartments and Ben could be allowed in.

"Maybe just a different kind?"

"Sorry, but I prefer food that doesn't trigger my gag reflex. Good thing they had that orange chicken."

"It's not even Japanese…" Ben muttered under his breath, but Rey didn't appear to hear him as she pulled out her keys.

"Are you coming in? I've been waiting for you to watch the newest episode of _The Bachelor_. I wouldn't even let Jessika talk about it around me."

"You really didn't have to do that…"

"Ha!" said Rey, stepping in. Ben almost had to duck through the small doorway. "Don't lie to me. We both know how much you love evil Melissa with the eyebrows."

Starting this season of _The Bachelor_ together had been Rey's reward for watching the entire _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy. Ben couldn't believe she had never seen them even once, until she reminded him that she never got to go to the movies growing up, and was only six when the first one came out anyway. When Ben had begun to bemoan their nearly seven year age gap, Rey had placed her hand on his arm and promised to watch them all. However, when the home screen of the _Fellowship of the Ring_ showed the length of the movie, Rey nearly fell off the couch.

"If you watch all three movies, I'll watch anything you want," Ben had promised.

Once she had acquiesced and the movie was going, Ben had sneakily snapped a pic of her with the television screen visible and sent the picture to Hux with the caption, dream fulfillment. A few minutes later, Hux had replied with a picture of a Walgreens grocery bag containing prenatal vitamins, stool softener, and double fudge ice cream and included the response, that's how they get you. Soon this will be you. Ben had raced to exit the screen so Rey wouldn't see and locked his phone so clumsily that he dropped it.

Two weeks after that, Ben found himself watching the season premiere of The Bachelor, a show he had heard of but only enough to scoff at the premise. The idea of a bunch of fame-hungry, social climbing women fighting to marry a man seemed like Ben's greatest nightmare from his own life, so why would he want to watch it on screen? Rey had assured him that no one ends up together anyway and that the producers crafted everything, but that it was crazy entertaining. Twenty minutes into the premiere, Ben couldn't believe how much he was enjoying picking on the contestants' made up professions and predicting which girl he thought would win the whole thing. Maybe he just enjoyed watching how passionate Rey got about a ridiculous, trashy reality show, but he couldn't deny it was a bit addicting.

Tonight, Ben looked forward to snuggling up with Rey and watching TV. Nothing made him happier than having her in his arms, safe. He spent all their time apart completely terrified that either Plutt or one of his cronies would find out what Rey was up to with the cops and try to harm her. The investigation had turned into much more than even Lando had anticipated. Apparently Plutt's chop shop was connected to a larger crime syndicate that the DA's office had been dying to get their hands on for ages, so things were moving slowly as they wanted to do things properly and thoroughly. Ben desperately wanted to tell Finn what was going on so he could be prepared to protect her at work (after she had firmly put down his idea of a full-time, hidden bodyguard), but Rey was staunchly opposed to bringing Finn in and subjecting him to any danger whatsoever.

"Finn!"

Rey's voice brought Ben out of his thoughts and he turned to see the man himself stepping out of Rey's kitchen, eating out of a bag of chips.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she snatched the bag from his hands. "And those are mine." She lovingly stroked the bag and muttered, " _my precious_."

Perhaps showing her _Lord of the Rings_ had been a mistake.

"Jessika let me in before she went out," said Finn, plopping down on the couch. "I need help. I don't know what to get Rose for her birthday."

"And you couldn't have called me? Or better yet, asked me any time this week or even today since we work together?" She sat down next to him.

Finn pouted. "I'm bored. Rose is working tonight, and even when she isn't, she's always studying now that the semester's started. She's taking a zillion credits…"

Ben decided to let Rey take care of her friend for the evening. He liked Finn well enough (especially now that he and Rose were official), but watching his evening of cuddles and maybe more with his girlfriend deflate in front of his eyes was enough to kill his mood, too. And it was tiring to remember to be Kylo Ren all the time. He leaned over to kiss Rey on the top of her head.

"I think I'll just head home," he muttered. "See you tomorrow, k? We'll go to the movies. Your choice."

Finn spun towards him, the childish pout wiped clean from his face.

"Wait, you're going home?"

"Uhh, yeah?"

"Can I please meet your roommate? Just for a minute. I just a need a face for the stories."

Rey's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. Ben coughed a little and attempted to maintain an impassive expression.

"My, um, my apartment's kind of a mess," started Ben, but Finn cut him off.

"I really don't care about any of that. I'll be quick, I promise. I mean, I know it's Friday night, but it seems like he's not the guy to go out, right?"

"That's…true. Okay, I guess." Ben took a breath and gestured for them to follow. He pulled out his phone and quickly sent a text to Porkins warning him they were coming. He had actually seen him a couple of weeks before in the parking lot, and Porkins had told him that his door was still open if he ever needed it. Ben had thanked him while feeling grateful that would never happen again.

A few minutes later, the three were in front of the apartment that Ben had hoped to never step foot in again. He typed in a code to the fancy lock that Porkins had installed and opened the door slowly.

"Hey, roomie, I'm home," he called out as loud as he could without making things weird. He stepped in carefully and did a quick scan of the living area like a cop in a thriller movie before letting his two companions in. Porkins wasn't in the living room, but his giant cat was. Ben hated the thing as it stared at them.

"Who's this?" said Finn.

"Oh, it's Porkins' cat, umm…"

"Maisy," prompted Rey.

"Right," said Ben, rubbing his neck. "So, um, I guess Porkins is out," he continued, hoping Finn would just give up and leave.

He didn't get his wish, as Porkins emerged from the kitchen gnawing on a piece of pizza and wearing a bathrobe and socks with rubber pool sandals. He took one look at the three people standing in his living room and said casually, "there's more pizza if you want it."

Finn brightened and went straight in. Ben followed him, afraid of what he would see in there. It wasn't too bad. Definitely not clean, as the counters and sink were scattered with dishes and take out containers, but Ben could feel at least partially comfortable entering without a Hazmat suit. Finn grabbed a piece of pizza and went into the living room.

"Hi, we haven't met," he said, holding out his pizza-less hand to Porkins. "I'm Rey and Ren's friend Finn. Thanks for the pizza, mate."

"No problem," said Porkins.

"So Porkins," chatted Finn merrily. "What is Ren like as a roommate? He's my best friend's boyfriend, after all. We need to scope out what he's like to live with, you know, in case."

"Oh my gosh, Finn," said Rey through a mouthful of pizza. Ben jerked his head towards her with a bemused expression and she caught it. "What?" she said, affronted. "Pizza is pizza. And we finished dinner like an hour ago. I'm hungry."

"I'm just getting the scoop for you," Finn called back out to her before turning his attention back to Porkins.

Porkins leaned back on the couch and stuck his feet out in front of him. Ben stood, frozen. This was ridiculous. They needed to just tell Finn the truth.

"Well," said Porkins. "He's fine, I guess. A little weird. Keeps mostly to himself. Not sure what he does in his room all the time…"

"Hey, Porkins, why don't you tell Finn a bit about Maisy?" said Rey.

Porkins plucked the cat off the top of the couch and began stroking her fur, hard. "Just found out this baby is in the 93rd percentile for weight, nice and healthy, not quite where we want her, but we'll get you to the top, won't we sweetheart," he cooed.

Beside him, Rey bit her lip to keep from laughing. Finn turned to them with a gleeful expression.

"All right," said Ben, stepping forward. "This has been fun but we weren't expecting company so…" He looked at Rey with desperate eyes.

"Yeah Finn, let's leave them alone," said Rey, taking Finn's arm and leading him out the door. Finn looked put out but no one cared. Once Rey had successfully shuffled a still-chatty Finn out the door, Ben looked down at where Porkins was holding his cat with one hand and switching on his tv with the other.

"So…" Ben started. "Um… Yeah." He stalked to the door, but then paused and pulled out his wallet. He handed a twenty to Porkins. "For the pizza. And for, um…you know."

Porkins set Maisy down and took the cash without protest. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw what Porkins had turned on. He couldn't help but pause and ask, "Is that League of Legends?"

"Yep," said Porkins. "Twitch stream."

"I, uh, haven't played LoL in years," admitted Ben. "Has it changed much?"

Porkins just gestured to the empty couch cushion beside him. Ben shifted awkwardly for a few moments until his feet made his decision for him. He sat down and Porkins wordlessly turned back to the tv.

Maybe it wasn't how he set out to spend his Friday night, but it was a surprisingly effective stress reliever.

Rey settled into a chair in the garage's break room to eat the peanut butter sandwich she had brought for lunch and finally pulled out her phone to read a string of texts she had felt come in over the course of the morning.

Ben: _**My mom really wants us to come over on Saturday**_

Ben: **_I'm running out of excuses to put her off_**

Ben: _**I promise she'll love you. You know my dad already does**_

Ben: _**I'll even show you my childhood bedroom**_

Ben: _**In case you haven't already figured out what I nerd I was, you will.**_

Ben: _**And you can look through my dad's car collection. I bet he'd even let you drive them.**_

Rey adjusted the screen so she could see what time the texts came in. They were each separated by about fifteen minutes, making her feel bad that he had probably spent the whole morning stressed out about her non-response. To delay having to answer the real reason for his text stream, she settled on a cheeky message back.

Rey: _**WAS a nerd?**_

She set down her phone and put her head in her hands. She knew she needed to suck up her fear and meet Ben's parents, officially, but the thought terrified her. Ben knew that, and he was very understanding. He usually went to his see his parents on Sundays, when Rey preferred to stick close to home in case Plutt called.

His response was almost instantaneous.

Ben: _**Haha. Please just think about it, okay?**_

"Hey, everything okay?"

Rey looked up to see Finn unwrapping and popping a frozen chimichanga into the microwave.

"Oh yeah, it's just Ren," she said. "He…he wants me to meet his parents this weekend."

"Oh no, not that!"

Rey gave him a look and he sat down beside her and put his hand on her knee. "I'm sorry, Rey, it's just, why is that such a big deal? You guys have been together for a while and this just shows that he's serious about you. Based on the stuff you were saying the other night, I think you feel the same way."

She sighed. "I do, and his parents live right here in town so I can't avoid it forever, but I'm just scared. I've never met a boyfriend's parents before. I don't even know my own parents. I don't know how to have parents or be in a family."

"Just be yourself. Everyone loves you. And most importantly, Ren loves you, and I imagine that that's what his parents care most about."

Her head jerked up at that. "You really think he loves me?"

"Uh, yeah. What, has he not told you?" Rey shook her head, staring down. "Rey, Stevie Wonder could see that he's crazy in love with you."

"Stevie Wonder?" She felt her face beginning to smile.

"He's blind, Rey."

"Yeah, I got that." She was fully smiling now. "Thanks, Finn, you really know how to cheer me up."

"I suppose it's the least I can do since I cockblocked the hell out of you guys on Friday night," said Finn, smirking.

Rey laughed. "Yeah, you did. I guess Ren and Porkins spent the night watching other people play video games online? I don't really get it."

"Video game streaming? Stop it. Of COURSE they did." The microwave dinged and Finn got up to get his food.

She appreciated Finn's encouragement, but he didn't know the half of it. Didn't know that Ben's mother was an heiress and renowned politician. She felt certain that she'd have plenty to talk about with Han Solo, but it was the fearful Leia Organa that scared her. The more she read about her online, the more she worried. Every news article she saw featured an elegant, perfectly dressed and coiffed woman interrogating shady businessmen or sponsoring important new bills.

Whenever she mentioned this to Ben, he always reminded her that his mom had married an uneducated Nascar driver. But Han had been a celebrity, and Leia had been a bit of a rebel at the time. And not that she'd have a frame of reference, but Rey figured that mothers were pickier for their own kids than they were for themselves. Ben was her baby. Her only child. How could Rey measure up? After all, she couldn't even come for weekly Sunday brunch because she was caught up in a criminal investigation. The thought made her wince.

But if it was important to Ben, she'd try.

Rey: **_But what will I wear?_**

Ben: **_How about the dress you wore when we went out with the Hux's? Gwen even complimented it._**

Rey: _**Hmm, too revealing to wear to meet your mother**_

 _Ben is typing…Ben is typing…_

Ben: **_We could get you something_**

Rey sighed. She knew that Ben wanted to lavish her with gifts and expensive things, but she was having a hard time accepting very much of it. She shuddered to think of how much her attorney was costing Ben, who wouldn't ever hear of her even stepping foot in the DA's or detective's offices without Lando, even as she assured Ben that law enforcement was on her side by now. For the most part, Ben respected her boundaries and didn't mention buying her anything, other than paying for the dates they went on and a few thoughtful gifts.

But this time, she couldn't help but admit that having something nice and out of her budget would help her feel more comfortable.

Rey: _**Okay**_

Ben: **_Really?_**

Rey: _**Yes. Let's go on Friday**_

Ben: _**:)**_

She set down her phone and looked at Finn, who had sat back across from her.

"I'm doing it. We're going to his childhood home on Saturday."

"Good," said Finn. "Then on Monday you can give me some tips. Rose is already talking Thanksgiving plans. It's September."

"Look at us," said Rey. "We're grownups."

"To adulthood," said Finn, holding up his last bite. Rey giggled and clinked her sandwich against it like wine glasses.

"To adulthood!"

Rey felt certain they must be getting closer to the Solo-Organa home when the houses started getting further apart. This was an area of the city she was completely unfamiliar with, but she enjoyed Ben's little tour as he pointed out some landmarks, like his prep school and Hux's parents' house. She nervously smoothed the skirt of her new floral poplin Kate Spade sundress that Ben's personal shopper had called a "bargain." Rey wanted to take her shopping and show her what a real bargain was.

Before she was quite ready, Ben pulled the car into a large winding driveway flanked by meticulously trimmed shrubbery and palm trees.

"Ben."

"Yeah?"

"This house has columns."

"Um, yep."

They climbed out and Rey stood still on the driveway, taking it all in. She felt Ben slip his hand in hers.

"It's just a house, Rey. And there's two people inside who are absolutely dying to see you, who know how happy you make me."

The front door flung open, revealing a beaming Leia Organa. She practically ran to them in her bare feet. Rey shuffled anxiously, not sure whether to shake her hand or hug or curtsy or bow? Her quick decision to go for a handshake proved unnecessary when Ben's mother swept her right up in a tight hug.

Leia eventually pulled out but held onto Rey with both hands. "Oh my dear, I am so happy you came out here. And you are every bit as lovely as Ben described you." She whipped her head back in the direction of the house. "HAN!" Turned back to Rey. "He just can't stop talking about you. It's Rey this, Rey that… HAN GET OUT HERE! I've never seen him like this ever. You've got my boy pussy-whipped, that's for sure."

"Mo-o-om," said Ben, cringing. Rey let go of Leia's hands and wrapped her arms around his waist. He looked so adorable with his head ducked low, all embarrassed. Despite the fact that he was about twice the size of his mother, it was like he was transported to little boy mode.

"What?" said Leia, all affronted, as she pulled up on her tiptoes to kiss her son on his cheek. "It's true. And it's just what we'd hope to see. HAN ARE YOU COMING OUT?"

Rolling her eyes, she continued. "I swear he was right behind me a minute ago spying out the front door for you guys but probably got distracted with who knows what." She gestured for them to follow her into the large double French doors. "And of course he's all scruffy looking today, couldn't get him to clean up even for such a special day, says he's already met Rey in a suit…"

She ranted on as she strutted into the enormous marble entryway. Rey didn't have a chance to really take in her surroundings before a scowling Han Solo emerged from one of the numerous adjacent hallways, rubbing at a nick on his chin.

"I went and shaved just like you asked, Your Worshipfulness," he grumbled at Leia before he noticed Ben and Rey. "Oh, hey, the kids are here!"

Rey stepped forward and shook Han's hand.

"It's great to see you again, Rey, and out of the garage," he said. "Although I've been enjoying torturing this one-" he gestured behind him with his thumb at Leia "-with the knowledge that I've met you and she hasn't."

"He's been insufferable," muttered Leia. "But that's just his default setting."

Han held out his finger at Leia. "Now listen here, Princess, we both who's the difficult one here."

"Dad!" cut in Ben. Both parents' heads whipped to where Ben and Rey were standing. Leia immediately stepped forward and looped her arm through Rey's, leading her through a passageway.

"Threepio, our butler, is putting out lunch on the back patio," said Leia. "I hope you're hungry."

"I'm always hungry," said Rey.

"Ben, aren't you feeding our girl?" Leia turned her head back in Ben's direction and tsked. Rey laughed but also felt a little warm inside at the words "our girl."

"I feed her as much as she lets me, Mother," said Ben, sounding exasperated. His voice softened fondly. "Which, incidentally, is a lot."

"What can I say?" said Rey. "I like food."

"Well don't we all?" said Leia as they stepped outside to the…backyard? That didn't seem like the right term for the vast landscaped space before her. She could spot a pool, pool house, some sort of cottage-thing, and a large structure at the end of a long driveway that she hoped contained Han's car collection.

When they had all gotten seated and served, Leia dove right in to the questioning. Rey had watched a number of clips online of Leia on the House floor, taken from a channel called C-SPAN. Apparently people watched this stuff, like, all day? Then she found out there were three C-SPAN channels. Her head had spun to think that this was the kind of stuff she might be expected to know as Ben's girlfriend. It was incredibly boring.

"Rey, tell us about yourself," said Leia, without a glimpse at her food.

Good, that didn't sound like her hard-hitting politician voice that had scared Rey for weeks. Rey swallowed her big bite of roll and took a deep breath.

"Well, I don't know what Ben has told you, but obviously I'm from England. I grew up in and around London. Then I moved to Coruscant when I was thirteen. My parents…"

Her voice faltered a bit. She glanced up at Ben, who looked prepared to jump in, but then she felt Leia reach out and touch her hand.

"I'm not asking about your parents, dear," said Leia softly. "Unless that's what you'd like to talk about, of course. I'm asking about you. Tell us what you like to do. Your hopes and dreams."

Rey felt herself get calmer. Yes, Leia didn't sound like a politician. She sounded like… a mom.

"Well, I've been at Solo Tire for five years, same location," she said, looking in Han's direction. He threw her a little wink. "I really like my work. I love cars. I love my co-workers. But really, if I had my way, I'd go back to school."

Han scoffed. "College. I'd hire you at corporate right now, degree or no."

"Hush, Han!" scolded Leia. "Go on, dear. What would you like to study?" Ben also nodded encouragingly.

"I think I've got a knack for mechanics," she started.

"You're the best," piped in Ben. Leia smiled at him.

"So, I think I'd like to study engineering," continued Rey. "I've taken the online classes through CU that Solo pays for and one of them touched on beginning engineering. I really liked it."

"Do you think you'd ever like to manage or own a garage?" asked Han.

"Um, I don't know if management's really my thing," replied Rey. "My best friend Finn – you remember, the black one you met?" Han nodded. "He's kind of our go-to manager when our actual boss isn't around. He loves dealing with people, the employees, the customers. The idea of buying out the garage excites him. I don't feel the same way."

"Rey is being modest," said Ben. "Every customer asks for her by name. She's amazing with people. She'd be an excellent owner." He looked at her, eyes soft. "But I think she'd be great at whatever she wants to do."

Han leaned in, his smile turning mischievous. "Rey, please tell us about Ben at the garage. I've been dying to hear all about it."

Rey met Ben's eyes and smiled angelically.

"Fine," said Ben stuffily, waving his hand. "Go on then."

She turned to Han eagerly. "On the very first day, someone asked him to finish up their oil change. I mean, I'm pretty sure it was a Civic. You don't get much simpler than that. So I look over, and he's about to attack the car with a wrench. Like, what was his plan?"

Han was already howling, Leia looked like she was trying to hold in a smile, and Ben looked like a grumpy teenager. So she continued her stories with relish, enjoying everyone's reactions, most especially Ben's.

"I knew it was a bad idea to get you and my dad together," he said petulantly, after Rey and Han bonded over a story Han told where teenaged Ben had to call his dad for help, stranded in his school's parking lot. Turned out Ben had turned off his car that morning still in drive. Han had just put the car into park, and it started right up.

Stories about Ben being clueless about cars shifted to stories about Ben being clueless about girls. Ben's prediction that Han would tell the story that Chewie had told about Ben throwing up, complete with ridiculous embellishments, came true, and Rey just nodded along, while sneaking knowing looks at Ben.

Han was laughing through a story where a high school senior Ben had accidentally poked his prom date with the pins used to hold his boutonnière in place when Leia cut in.

"It really wasn't that bad, Han," she said, shaking her head at him. "It was a little poke, didn't even draw blood. The poor dear was just so nervous that his hands were a little shaky." She rubbed Ben's hand warmly.

"Well it didn't help that I didn't even think she wanted to be there," said Ben. "The two moms set it up. I, uh, don't think she had a very good time."

"He's always been a bit scared of girls," said Leia. "I'm sure glad he has you now, Rey. You're the first girl he's ever brought home. Not even that horrible girl Natalie Bazine…"

"Mom," warned Ben.

"What, Ben? I'm just saying I'm happy you like our Rey and that she's not a gold digging tramp."

"Wow, Mom. Don't let the feminist bloggers hear you say that. You'll fall right off their pedestal."

Thankfully, Rey and Ben had already shared their limited romantic histories with each other, so Rey wasn't too taken aback. She felt like she should be more shocked that Leia would bring Ben's ex-girlfriend up, but she was too busy basking in our Rey to really care.

"Maybe you have a picture of that prom date," said Rey hopefully.

Leia's eyes lit up. "Oh yes," she said. "I've already pulled all the albums. Shall we go take a peek?"

Rey nodded eagerly and Ben groaned. She got up to follow Leia but Han jumped up and chased after his wife.

"Hey, I was going to go show Rey my cars," he protested. "I've been waiting all day!"

"Well, I've been waiting about 15 years!" Leia shot back. They both walked into the house, bickering as they went.

Rey held back. She turned to Ben. "Are they…okay?"

"That's just them," he said. "They're weird. Don't worry about it. I'm sorry; I know they're a lot."

Rey kissed him softly. "They're really great, Ben. But I can see how they might have been tough on you sometimes growing up. Anyway, I'm happy you're closer now."

"Yeah," said Ben with a tiny smile. "I am, too. Now, to endure the experience I've been dreading for about 15 years." He led the way into the house with the spirit of walking to the gallows.

Rey loved flipping through the albums with Leia. They talked and laughed and eventually kicked party pooper Ben out.

"These are so cute," Rey said. "I wish I had something like this to show Ben." She took a deep breath. "Has he, um, told you guys much about me?"

Leia carefully set down the album and turned more fully in Rey's direction. "Some, yes."

Rey nodded. "Okay, and are you…all right with this?"

Leia didn't say anything for a moment and Rey wanted to reach into the air and snatch all her words back. They were having such a good time. Why couldn't she have just let things be?

Finally, Leia spoke. "Has Ben told you how I met his father?"

"Just a bit. You met while you were in college and he was still racing?"

"Yes. I was on my first summer home from Harvard and my twin brother Luke took me to this VIP Nascar event to meet his buddy, the famous Han Solo. Luke wanted to race but our dad wouldn't hear of it so he just kind of hung out around the track a lot. And guess what happened that day?"

"You hit it off?"

Leia laughed. "Not quite. We fought. We got in this big argument in front of everyone over some stupid thing. I remember Han even said, 'no payout is worth this.' But it wasn't until later that Luke told me that Han had asked him if a guy like him and a girl like me could ever be anything. Luke told him no – he was pretty protective of me back then – but it was too late. Han and I were sort of pen pals for years and it wasn't until I graduated college that we 'came out' as a couple. It was a bit of a scandal. Me, Senator Organa's daughter, and Han, an older, rebellious celebrity who only got his start in Nascar after a less than legal career in street racing."

"What did your parents think?" Rey was hanging on every word.

"That's just it. The only people who were supportive were my parents. They had their small concerns of course, age gap and so forth, but they knew how happy Han made me, and they could see that he was a good guy underneath it all. So when Han decided to parlay his fame into a garage business, my dad made a large investment. I don't know if he ever expected to see a dime of that money again, but he did it to show me he was on our side. It's always meant the world to me."

"Ben really loved his grandparents," said Rey.

"Yes, he did." Leia nodded, taking a moment to wipe at her eyes. "My parents were wonderful people. But did you know I'm adopted?"

Rey nodded.

"I don't know anything about my birth parents," Leia continued. "And I've always wondered about them. Why didn't they want us? I've handled it a lot better than Luke. He…struggles in a lot of ways." She took Rey's hand. "Just know that I know a bit about feeling rejected by your parents. You know the big difference between you and me? I got really lucky. From what it sounds like, you've been less lucky. And we're all going to do everything in our power to make sure you have everything you deserve from here out, you hear?"

Rey felt her eyes fill with tears. Leia pulled her into her side and they sniffled together. After a moment, Han poked his head in the door, his face immediately turning aghast.

"What is going on here? Leia, why'd you make the kid cry?"

Rey giggled and wiped at her eyes. Leia patted her on the back.

"I assume you're coming to collect this one to show off your old junk," said Leia dismissively.

Rey jumped to her feet. "Let's go!"

A while later, Rey spotted Ben's old in-ground trampoline in a hidden corner of the backyard and insisted they jump. So Ben dutifully removed his shoes and joined her, hoping the springs would hold up after all those years of disuse. Honestly, though, jumping was the perfect manifestation of the joy he was feeling. The day had gone super well. His parents were clearly in love with his Rey, and she had finally loosened up into acting just like her special self.

She had even convinced his dad to let her drive his prized Lamborghini, a feat never achieved by himself, his mom, or even Chewie.

At one point, he bent down on the trampoline to launch himself off at the exact same moment as Rey, causing the fabric under them to wobble and send them both flat on their faces. They toppled down and he had to catch himself with his elbows to keep from squashing Rey. She laughed breathlessly and he rolled on to his back, pulling Rey on top of him. Her eyes were bright and happy and he smoothed her staticky, wayward hair out of her face.

Suddenly, the words that he had been anxiously sitting on for weeks couldn't be contained a moment longer.

"I love you," he whispered.

Her giggles subsided, and her eyes widened. His heart thudded as she leaned down lower until her lips brushed against his ear.

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

He turned his head to capture her lips with his, wrapping his arms around her small frame tighter, closer.

She yanked away. "Ben, your parents," she hissed, looking sideways at the house.

Ben pulled her back and nuzzled her nose. "I'm nearly thirty. I think I'm allowed to kiss the woman I love. They'll probably yell at me if I don't. They've waited too long to walk in on their son, trust me."

Laughing, she shook her head and leaned back in. They kissed happily as they muttered "I love you"s again and again.

Eventually, the sound of someone coughing behind them caused Rey to launch herself off of him so quick it was like she was attached to a wire. He immediately sat up to conceal anything that was happening to him down below.

Next to the trampoline, Leia was smirking. "Sorry, you two," she said, not looking sorry at all. Then her face turned more serious. She held out Rey's phone to her. "You left this inside. Lando Calrissian has called three times. I figured it must be important."

"He's never called on a Saturday before," Rey said softly. "I better call back." She slipped away to make her call.

The air between Ben and Leia was still for a moment before she nudged him with her foot.

"Don't worry, I made Threepio check out here to make sure you were clothed first," she said.

"Mom!"


	16. Chapter 16

Ben started growing concerned when he and his mom finally made their way back into the house and Rey was still on her phone call with Lando.

His mom tried to keep him distracted by talking about her most recent trip to Washington, but his mind couldn't be swayed.

He wanted Rey to catch Plutt.

He didn't want Rey to catch Plutt.

Catching Plutt meant that she would have to go into the scene of his crimes and get him talking. It could mean arousing Plutt's suspicion enough to derail Rey's carefully laid plans and potentially lead to disaster.

It could mean Rey getting hurt.

All the money in the world couldn't stop Rey from doing this. She was determined.

Ben was terrified.

"Hey, um, Ben? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Both Ben and his mother's heads snapped in the direction of Rey's timid voice in the back door.

Leia picked her phone off the counter and slipped out of the kitchen, mumbling about looking for Han. Rey looked around nervously.

"Can we talk more privately? I know your parents know about the investigation, but…"

Ben led them out onto the patio, latched the back door, and looked at Rey expectantly.

"So, Lando called because he had just talked to Detective Andor. Today they picked up Plutt's buddy Sam on some possession charge. Drugs, weapons, I don't really know. But the point is, thanks to me they knew he was connected to Plutt. Since he has a prior from this summer and was violating his probation, he's in a lot of trouble. So they gave him a chance for a plea deal for info on Plutt's plans."

"And?"

"And he's been singing like a canary. He's given them some info on the car theft ring, but the important thing for me is I guess Plutt has a big shipment of cars coming in tomorrow. Remember that the last time Plutt called me in was because Sam had been picked up and he was short staffed. So they're thinking he might call me in again. At least we all have some warning." She shrugged.

Ben pulled back and grasped her shoulders.

"No, this is great," he said, spirits high. "If Sam is tipping them off, then they don't even need you. Between you and him, that's gotta be enough for a warrant. Can't they just do a bust?"

Rey bit her lip.

"Well, yes. But they still want me to get a confession out of him first."

Ben clenched his fists, ready to put a hole through a window, smash an expensive planter, anything. He tried as hard as he could to breathe through the anger, but he couldn't hold it in.

"How can they do this?" he thundered. "Put you in danger for another bit of evidence? Send you in where people may be armed, for no real reason? This is unacceptable!"

"I'll be fine. I'll bring my gun."

"Your WHAT?" Ben was losing any semblance of cool he had left, especially at Rey's nonchalant delivery of those words.

"My gun. I bought it more than a month ago and got a concealed carry permit. Snap helped me. I've been carrying it to work every day for weeks."

Ben started pulling at his hair so hard he thought it would rip right out. "And you're just telling me this NOW?"

"Yes, because I knew you would react like this! I can protect myself, Ben."

"By setting off a dangerous weapon? By accidentally killing yourself?"

"I know what I'm doing!" she practically screamed. "While you were off learning to sail or ski, or whatever else you did growing up, I was alone shooting beer cans in Plutt's backyard."

"He just left guns lying around?!" Ben didn't think it was possible, but he hated Plutt more now than he did five minutes ago.

"I think we've firmly established that Plutt didn't treat me like a beloved child," she said, eyes fiery. "Besides, everyone in my neighborhood had guns. It wasn't special or anything. I'm gathering that it wasn't like that in this fine, gated community."

"I've never even touched a gun. No one should!"

"Well, I'm sorry I'm too hood for you, Benjamin Organa Solo," she hissed. "Sorry your white trash girlfriend is packing."

"Stop it, you know it's not like that."

"Oh? Then what's it like, Ben? What's it like?"

Her voice cracked and she slumped in the nearest available chair, burying her head in her arms. Carefully, he came up behind her and gently, gently lowered his fingers onto her shoulders. She didn't shake him off, so he leaned in a little closer.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he murmured against her hair. "I'm just scared."

She looked up at him, eyes red. "I'm sorry, too." She looked down at the table. "Look, I don't want to have to carry a gun. I don't want to be scared anymore. I want to put this behind me, behind us. My best bet is to get Plutt talking. Detective Andor and Detective Rook have been working with me constantly. You know that. I've practiced over and over. I can get the cops the stuff they need for their investigation, as well as get some justice for the rubbish Plutt has put me through for ten years. I have to try."

She reached up and placed her hand on top of where his was resting on her shoulder. "You have to let me, Ben."

"You don't need my permission," said Ben, giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm sorry I freaked out. It's just…going to be hard, knowing that there's nothing I can do to help."

"You are helping. You're the reason I'm even in this position. And no offense…" She turned around and smirked at him. "But you've never held a gun. I think I'd rather have the cops help me, thanks."

It was while they were driving home in silence after making their excuses to Han and Leia that Rey received a text from Plutt.

"He's as predictable as a hurricane," said Rey, proudly waving her phone around.

"What does it say?"

"It says, 'Tomorrow morning at 10. Got three plump chickens I need you to feather. Remember you're on thin ice after that stunt you pulled this summer so you better be there on time.' Typical."

"Chickens?" asked Ben, confused.

She rolled her eyes. "It's his stupid code. These days it's chickens, but it's been all sorts of things over the years. They're always that bad."

"Does he usually text?" Ben was nervous. "Do you think he has any reason to suspect anything?"

"Sometimes, yeah," she mumbled as she dialed Lando's number. Ben listened as she discussed the procedures for the next day for the rest of the car ride.

Ben dropped her off at her front door with a heavy heart. She had asked to be alone for the night and he respected that, but he hated feeling so helpless.

"Don't contact me tomorrow," she said. "I'll reach out when I can."

Ben nodded, knowing how painful his next 24 hours would be.

"I love you," he said, grateful he had told her earlier so she could have no reason to doubt his sincerity. "I just need you to know that, in case…"

"Ben Solo, you absolute drama queen." She chuckled gently. "I will be fine; it's just Plutt and his band of idiots, and hopefully it'll all be over by tomorrow night."

He pulled her in tight and rested his chin on her head. "I know, but…"

She looked up and met his eyes. "Hey, it's been a really great day. Let's end it happily, okay? Now go home and watch some terrible artsy movie, or better yet, go to the gym. You're wound up tighter than a coil spring."

Shaking her head at his confused expression, she added, "That's a car part. You're still helpless there, but I love you anyway."

She kissed him and pulled out to unlock her door and let herself in, leaving Ben alone in his misery.

The next morning, Rey met Detectives Cassian Andor and Bodhi Rook in their unmarked surveillance vehicle a few blocks from Plutt's illicit garage. They set her up with her wire and confiscated her "way too obvious" gun, making her glad that Ben wasn't there to see him proven right.

"You remember all the aspects of law that ADA Mothma taught you?" asked Detective Andor.

Rey nodded, looking up thoughtfully as she rattled them off. "Confirm that he kept me as a child for purposes of free labor, that he benefited from it, that he's been coercing me and threatening me since I moved out, that he knows his cars are stolen, ask who he gets them from, try to bring up specific incidents… Anything else?"

"I think that's good," said Detective Rook. "Just try to get what you can, but remember, if you feel like you're in danger, code word for us is 'pickles.' We'll be listening the whole time."

"We'll either make our bust when you're in danger, or when we feel like we have enough to prosecute him fully," added Detective Andor. "Hopefully it's the latter. We don't want you to get hurt, and we really don't want to have to do this again another time. We have back up officers, at the ready, too. Good luck, Rey."

When she entered the garage at ten on the dot, she walked straight to the car closest to her and pulled on her gloves.

"Same as usual?" she asked Plutt, trying to sound as detached as possible.

"Yes," said Plutt. "And pay special attention to the passenger side. I've already got an interested buyer."

Rey took a breath before asking casually, "Who does buy these pieces? I don't think you've ever told me."

Plutt looked up from under the hood of a Pontiac. "That's because it's none of your damn business, girl."

Rey bit her lip and focused on the car. She heard Detective Andor's voice in her ear, telling her to relax and that they had all day.

She, Plutt, and a buddy of Plutt's named Drew worked in silence for another hour, as she ran through the many conversations she had had with Plutt in her mind over the past couple of months, on the bus, at work, in the shower, in front of her mirror…

"Hey, girl," said Plutt. "Come help me with this front grill. I don't want it scratched."

She obediently stopped disconnecting all of her car's wiring and crouched down next to Plutt. They got to work like they'd done many times before. He seemed calm enough, so she ventured to broach one of Plutt's favorite subjects.

"So, Unkar," she said, "Are we going to put on the game today?"

"Nah. TV's busted. I have it recording at home."

"Think we stand a chance? I know it's early in the season, but Chandrila's undefeated, and we're playing on their home turf."

"We better stand a chance. I've got 300 bucks riding on this game. Course the NFL will ruin it with this bullshit concussion policy. Seems like our whole first string is out because they as much as wobble after a big hit. This whole league's gone soft."

Rey listened to him rant for a while about how everyone playing football these days are a bunch of pansies, which she was easily able to parlay into another one of his pet topics, his time as a high school linebacker. Casually, she returned to their earlier topic.

"Remember that time we got those cars in during the Super Bowl and that old TV went out on us that day too?" She gestured at the old TV set in the corner and Plutt grunted in response. "It was a good game, too. Corellia – Hanna City."

That game had been eight years before, and neither Corellia nor Hanna City had played in a Super Bowl since.

"Yeah, but it was a good haul that day," said Plutt thoughtfully.

"I remember that day because it was the first time I stripped an undercarriage by myself." She chuckled. "And I still have the scar."

"Pathetic," mumbled Plutt.

"Hey, I was only fifteen. I got better, didn't I? I don't think it was much longer after that that I could do the whole car myself. I did a lot more of them back then. Our weekly Sunday ritual."

"You didn't sass me every time back then either. You had some respect."

Rey rolled her eyes and returned to her work. Detective Andor's voice in her ear told her that she was doing great, but to back off a bit.

Sometime later, when she was had drained all the Pontiac's fluids and had begun dismantling the frame, Drew slipped out for a smoke. Plutt made to follow him, but Rey yelled out that she needed his help with something. He scowled at her, but came over.

"What is it?" he sneered, making her think that maybe she should have let him have his cigarette before talking, but this was her chance.

"It's not the car," she said, looking at the door where Drew had just left. "I just wanted to ask you something when we were alone."

He looked annoyed, but didn't say anything, so she continued.

"You know I hate coming here, Unkar. And I know that I owe you for giving me a home all those years ago. But I've been working on your cars for no pay for ten years now."

"Last I checked I pay you a living wage at Solo, plus I fed and clothed you for five years before that."

"Yes, and I was dismantling cars for you that whole time. At what point is my debt repaid?"

"I gave you your job back this summer out of the goodness of my heart," he hissed. "I owe you nothing else."

"I'm seeing someone," Rey blurted out.

"I don't give two—"

"No, listen," Rey cut in. "He runs pot for the Hutts, and he lost a shipment. He owes them a lot of money, and I'm trying to help. I need help. I need you, Unkar."

"What am I supposed to do? You're not expecting me to bail out your loser boyfriend, are you? When pigs fly, girl."

"No, I want you to cut me in. Think about it. You have to twist my arm to come in here every few months now that I live on my own, and why? Because I get nothing out of this arrangement."

"I keep you employed."

"Yes, but think of how much better I'd be for you if I wasn't just dragged here because of your threats to take away my job or report me. I need to get in the game. We both know I'm the best you've got, way better than Drew or Sam or whatever other thugs you've got on your staff. If I had skin in the game, we could get so much more done."

Plutt sat back, the wheels turning slowly. She attempted to maintain the expression of a pathetic, desperate girlfriend and not a terrified liar.

"My suppliers," he started slowly. "Have more cars than I'm able to address with my limited time. My Solo garages tie me up during the week. They're getting tense. I'm worried they'll find out about Sam getting picked up again."

"Who are they?"

Plutt stared at her, eyes narrowed.

"C'mon, Unkar, I've been rubbing VINs off your stolen cars for ten years. I'm not stupid. And, as you remind me constantly, I'm already caught up in this, so what do I have to lose? But if I get deeper in this, I need to know more about this ring. I can't go in blind."

Plutt opened his mouth to respond when Drew came back in. The garage was silent as Plutt went back to his Pontiac. Inwardly cursing how close she got, Rey tried to keep her expression cool and collected. She concentrated all of her efforts into the dismantling process and hoped that Drew had a serious addiction to nicotine.

Not five minutes passed before Plutt announced he was stepping out for his cigarette.

"Hey Rey," he said. "Need a smoke, too?"

Thrown off, Rey almost replied that she didn't smoke but managed to catch herself in the nick of time. "Yeah," she said. "That'd be great."

She followed him into the quiet, dirty alleyway behind the garage. Plutt lit up while Rey found a place to stand upwind from his smoke. He took a few long drags and then looked right at Rey.

"You really want in, girl? You gotta be committed. I'll still expect full hours from you at Solo, no exceptions. But then you can't slack off around here."

"Of course."

Plutt focused on blowing smoke for what felt like eternity.

"I'll cut you in at ten percent."

"Thirty."

"Ha. Fifteen."

"That's not enough. I need twenty."

Plutt shifted on his feet and snubbed out his cigarette with his toe. "Fine, I'll take a piece from Drew's share. He's useless anyway."

"So tell me who we're working with. I may need to do some of the negotiating."

"Like hell you will."

"Fine, but I need to be ready to protect myself."

He sighed heavily, which turned into a chesty cough. "Cars come in from a gang called the Gungans. Lead by a guy called Boss Nass. He has a few guys lifting the cars around the city, don't know who."

Only the fact that Rey already knew all of this from working with the cops kept her from laughing at the ludicrousness of their name. "Are they always stolen?"

"As far as I know. We're not chatty."

"Has it always been the Gungans while you've had me doing your work?"

"I don't know. Has it really been ten years?"

"Yep."

"Damn, time flies." He pulled out another cigarette, apparently not in any hurry to end their conversation.

"Yeah, you had me disconnecting car batteries when I was 13 years old." She forced a laugh. "Why would you ever think that was a good idea?"

"What else was I supposed to do with you? I didn't know how to raise a kid."

"So why did you agree to take me in?"

He puffed silently for a moment. "Guess I didn't feel like I had a choice. I always thought I could turn you out if it didn't work out. But you were useful." He paused. "It hasn't always been bad, has it?"

Maybe it was crazy, but Rey nearly choked up at his sentiment. Suddenly, she was that thirteen-year-old girl again, desperate for her uncle's approval, desperate for a crumb of affection.

"No," she heard herself saying, almost like she was playing witness to her own life. "No, it hasn't."

"Guess you've grown, huh?" He looked straight at her like he was seeing her for the first time in years. She felt exposed; terrified that if he looked too closely he'd see that she was betraying him, letting him down. What was she doing? She thought about the detectives listening to every word and leaned against the wall to muffle her microphone.

"But you still need your old man."

It was those words that snapped her out of her daze. She watched him as he casually finished off his cigarette, pleased with himself that pathetic little Rey needed him yet again. She got back off the wall.

"I won't let you down, Unkar."

"You better not, girl. Everything you have, I've given you, and I can take it away. Don't forget that."

"I won't."

She followed him back in and they resumed their positions on their cars. She was grateful for the steady work with her hands while her heart raced and her mind spun. Drew eventually turned on his phone to play the football game through the radio, and she was grateful for the distraction.

Drew and Plutt were complaining about the referees giving a targeting penalty when it happened. Detectives Andor and Rook and a couple of beat cops burst in and arrested the three of them. Rey silently complied as they had previously discussed. Best if Drew and Plutt assumed that Sam had ratted them out.

"I want my lawyer," Plutt barked as they marched him out, without a look back at his helpless underlings. It was like her nightmare over the past ten years played out, but she secretly had the upper hand.

At the station, the cops put everyone in custody and then secretly let out Rey. Lando had already arrived.

"You were amazing," said Detective Andor. "This case should be an ace in the hole. We're already working on editing the recording for ADA Mothma. She'll bring the charges in the morning."

She just nodded.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand on her arm. "What you did is not easy. You were really brave."

"From what the detectives have told me, you sure were," added Lando.

"Can I have my phone? Am I okay to go?"

"I'm sorry, Rey, but we need to take a quick statement from you about today. But it won't take long. Your boyfriend can come now, if you want." He handed her her phone and she dialed Ben.

"Rey!" he said on the other line after half a ring. In spite of herself, she smiled slightly at the thought of him waiting for her call all day.

"Hey, I'm fine, everything's fine. I'm at the station. Plutt's in custody."

She could hear his sigh of relief.

"Can I come?"

"Please."

She had just finished her statement when a cop opened the door and let a harried looking Ben in. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink since they parted the night before, his eyes wild and his hair a tangled mess. She practically sprang at him and he caught her in his arms, squeezing so tight she could barely breathe, but it was just right.

The emotions of the day caught up to her and she shook in his arms, sobbing pitifully. He stroked her hair while she cried. When she finally pulled away, she saw that they were alone.

"Let's go home," said Ben. "We'll get whatever food you want on the way, okay?"

She pulled back and looked at him for a moment. "I love you, Ben," she said. "But I don't need you." Her voice softened. "Do I?"

He looked confused, but he stroked her hair again. "Of course you don't need me. You're the strongest person I know."

"I think," she started, and then took a breath. "I think I need a therapist."

"Whatever you need," he said, kindly not reminding her that she had shot down the idea when he had suggested it months ago.

She leaned back into his available arms. "Let's go home."

The next morning, Ben and Rey walked hand in hand into the Coruscant Hills Solo Tire before the garage opened. Snap, Teedo, Finn, and a couple other workers were setting up.

"Hey Rey," called out Finn. "Wait, and Ren? What are you doing here?"

Finn's greeting alerted the other guys to Ben's presence and everyone seemed to stop at the same time.

"Hey aren't you that guy who was here for, like, a week this summer?" asked Teedo.

"Yeah," said Finn, looking down at their joined hands. "He and Rey have been dating since he quit. Guess you guys are ready to make it really public, huh?"

"Actually," said Ben. "I'm here on official Solo Tire business. Can everyone listen up?"

The room was still as everyone looked on in confusion.

"You guy know me as Kylo Ren, from me working here over the summer. But my real name is Ben Solo. My father is Han Solo, who you all met the day I quit. But I didn't quit Solo Tire. I just returned to corporate, where I usually work. Thanks to all of you here, I've been working on implementing some corporate wide changes that will hopefully make your lives' easier."

He paused.

"Hold up, what?" Finn wasn't addressing him; he was looking at Rey.

"Just listen," she hissed back.

"The reason I'm here today," Ben continued, "is because your owner and manager, Unkar Plutt, was taken into police custody yesterday and is under investigation for some alleged criminal behavior separate from his work here at Solo." He hated calling it "alleged," but he had been fully prepped by Solo Tire's lawyers early that morning.

He waited for the tizzy to calm down. "We are waiting to see if he will be granted bail, but either way he is on suspension from Solo until his legal troubles are sorted out. Also, Rey has a restraining order against Plutt, so if anyone sees him even a block away, you are to call 911 immediately. Understood?"

Mouths agape, all the men in the room nodded their heads.

"Over the next couple of days, law enforcement officers as well as Solo Tire attorneys will be interviewing each of you, as well as the employees at Plutt's other garages, so please be prepared. It shouldn't be anything to worry about. As far as we know, Plutt kept his illegal activities far from his garages. Now, in the meantime, we'd like to continue operations without unnecessary interruption. Hey, Finn?"

Finn's head snapped up and Ben gestured for him to follow him into Plutt's office, which he did, wordlessly.

"What is going on, man?" Finn asked as soon as the door was closed. "Is Rey okay? Did she know about…this?" He gestured to Ben's suit.

"Yes, since nearly the beginning. But I'm not going to share more. That's her business to tell if or when she's ready. Just know that she never wanted to lie to you, but it was for the good of the case against Plutt. Her hands have been tied."

"Dang, this is a lot. Are we expecting a normal work day with all this?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. We need an interim manager while we sort all the Plutt stuff out. Would you be willing to step up?"

"Really?"

"Yes. Your good work here hasn't gone unnoticed."

Finn ducked his head awkwardly, but his smile was wide.

"K, we'll be putting Plutt's locations through a full internal audit and they will need your help. And I will make sure that your pay will reflect your new position."

They shook hands. As Ben went to let go, Finn held on and looked at Ben.

"Man, my head's kinda spinning with all this and finding out that you're bougie and all this stuff with Rey, but listen – I can accept it all if you promise me one thing."

"Umm, okay."

"Keep her smiling, okay?"

Ben looked out the small window to where it looked like Rey was being teased by the other guys. Her smile lit up the dank garage, same as it had the first day he had ever met her.

"I'll do my best."


	17. Chapter 17

Rey stepped off the elevator onto a floor that was becoming more familiar to her and took a moment to adjust a small wreath that hung on the wall. She hadn't been this into the Christmas season, since, well, ever. Being in love and feeling real hope for her future now that Plutt's trial was over made her feel like she was skipping through the plot of a cheesy TV holiday movie.

She walked up to the mahogany desk in front of Ben's office door and set a little gift bag on it. Mitaka looked up from his computer and smiled warmly at her.

"Hey, Rey," he said. "How you are?"

"Great!" She nudged the gift bag in his direction. "I brought you something. Merry Christmas."

"Thanks, Rey. You didn't need to do that."

"Well, I wanted to." She leaned around him and peered into the large empty, glass-walled office. "Where's Ben?"

"He's finishing up with a meeting downstairs. I expected him back by now."

After enduring enough mocking from Rey for being driven around like he was "the freaking queen," Ben had decided to move Mitaka to more of a traditional administrative assistant role, with only occasional chaffeuring. The change worked well for both of them. Mitaka admitted he missed driving as much, but he loved his new hours and benefits as an official Solo Tire employee. Also, he once told Rey in confidence that he liked finally being paid for all of the extra crap he did for Ben all the time.

"Are you going to the party?" Rey asked Mitaka. When he nodded, she added coyly, "Is anyone coming with you?"

"Ummm, yes. She's meeting me there." There was a slight pink in Mitaka's pale cheeks.

"Still Lusica?"

"Yes. We're taking things slow, but…it's good."

"I hope I can meet her finally!"

The sound of the door to the stairs swinging open caused them to both look towards where Ben came through the door, his eyes on his girlfriend.

"Of course you took the stairs," said Rey. "You always gotta be healthy, make all of us look lazy."

He chuckled. "It was only one flight." He grabbed her hand and twirled her around gracefully, dipping her low and kissing her. "You look amazing," he said softly, pulling her back up. "I'm going to be the envy of every man at this party."

"Wow, those were some smooth moves," she said.

"I guess those cotillion lessons my mom made me take in high school were good for something."

"Cotillion?"

"This dumb debutante event for society teens. You have to go to classes; they teach etiquette, dancing, kind of like finishing school. Hey, Mitaka, can you call Gwen Hux and let her know we're on our way?" He took Rey's hand and walked to the elevator. "We better get moving so we can do this and still get over to the party."

"K," said Rey, "but don't think we're done talking about this cotillion thing."

* * *

Gwen Phasma Hux, Attorney at Law, was harmless, but she didn't look like it. Even taller than Ben, she towered over all of her opposing counsel. She once confided in Rey that she liked being the last person to walk into a settlement negotiation or court hearing, so she could use her height as an intimidation factor. At the time, the idea had amused Rey, who only knew Gwen as a kind woman who was fast becoming her friend.

But now Gwen was Rey's attorney, and Rey was beginning to see what Gwen had been talking about.

Lando Calrissian had represented Rey all the way through Plutt's criminal trial. He had done a terrific job of ensuring that her name and complete immunity stayed protected, and being an all-around support system. Once Plutt had been handed his guilty verdict of human trafficking and sentenced to four years in prison, Lando had advised Rey to find a civil attorney to sue Plutt for monetary damages.

Ben and Finn had been furious that Plutt only got four years, a deal he had managed to work out by providing the government with valuable information on the Gungans gang. But Rey really didn't care. She got to have her moment in court, where she had been able to look Plutt in the eye and tell him what he had done to her, and now she could move on with her life, content that Plutt no longer had any power over her.

It hadn't been easy for her, though. Over the past few months, she had spent a lot of time with her new therapist, who helped her sort through her complicated feelings about the man who had essentially raised her. The day after she testified in court, Ben took her, Finn, and Rose on a dream-fulfillment trip to Disney World, where she was able to put Plutt from her mind and enjoy time with the people she loved.

She had been ready to wash her hands completely of Unkar Plutt when Lando suggested pursuing a civil suit. Already battling feelings of guilt for turning in her uncle, she initially rejected the idea. But after getting encouragement from Ben, her friends, Ben's family, and her therapist, she decided to pursue the suit and hired Gwen, Hux's wife, to handle the case.

Today, Gwen was presenting Rey with the latest settlement offer to come in from Plutt's attorney. Their previous offers had been pitiful, but Gwen had been relentless in her pursuit of more money for Rey.

Once Ben, Rey, and Gwen had exchanged pleasantries and sat down, Gwen got to business.

"So," she began, "as you know, Plutt had a lot of his assets seized by the government, plus he's had a lot of steep legal bills. And Solo Tire reclaimed his garages since his criminal activity put him in breach of his franchisee contract. So Plutt and his lawyer have been pushing the narrative that there was no money left."

Rey nodded, not surprised.

"He had a lot of vices," she told Ben and Gwen. "Weekly poker nights, but he sucked at it. Sports betting, too. Strip clubs every Friday. I hated laundry on Saturdays.

Gwen visibly winced, but Ben faced stayed impassive, although she could see his jaw clench out of the corner of her eye. He had learned to brace himself against her tales of growing up.

"Be that as it may," said Gwen, "I just couldn't see how a man who owned three successful garage franchises and a side criminal hustle wouldn't have more cash. So I pushed." She winked at Rey. "I got them to admit to another savings account, and also was able to get the records for the sale of his house."

"He sold his house?" asked Rey.

"Yes, some flipper made a cash offer and he took it. A lot of the sale went to his legal bills, I know."

"But where will he live when he gets out?" Rey was weirdly concerned. He had never lived anywhere but that house in Coruscant Hills in the time she had known him. Beside her, Ben took her hand and squeezed it.

"Right," said Rey. "It's not my issue." She gestured at Gwen to continue.

Gwen looked concerned, but carried on. "So this is their latest offer. And it's my opinion that it may actually be the best they can do." She pulled out a sticky note and pen and jotted something down. After folding it in half, she slid it across the table. "Merry Christmas, Rey."

Rey took it and opened it. For a moment, she just stared. Everyone waited patiently before she eventually handed the note to Ben. She always brought him with her to these meetings, waiving her privilege so she could rely on his money expertise.

"$75,000," he read aloud. "That's great, Rey!"

"I know that's, like, nothing to you guys," Rey said quietly. "But that's more money than I've ever seen in my life."

Gwen laughed. "It may not be a lot to this guy," she said, gesturing to Ben with her thumb, "but I'd take it any day of the week!"

"I can't believe this," said Rey. "I could go to school." Ben had, of course, offered multiple times to just put her through school, but she hated taking that much from him.

"You could probably start at Coruscant U right after the holidays," said Ben. "If that was what you wanted."

"There's no way they'd take me this late, is there?"

Waving her hand flippantly, Gwen said, "Eh, Armie's dad is on the Board of Trustees."

"And there's a building named after my grandfather," added Ben. "I think we can manage it."

Rey could feel her throat tightening with oncoming tears, but she tamped it down and managed a wry chuckle. "You rich people have your own rules, don't you?"

"It s a learning curve, that's for sure," said Gwen. "Trust me, before I met Armie during law school, I never expected to be any part of this world."

"I can't believe Hux still lets you call him that," chuckled Ben. "I think he'd kill me if I tried."

"Well, being his wife and future mother of his child has some advantages. I'm not going to call him my own last name. No one in his family does."

"How much longer do you have?" asked Rey, eyeing Gwen's growing belly.

"Mid-February. Can't wait to get out of these horrible maternity clothes and into some yoga pants for my time off from here. I'm just glad we'll be wrapped up with your case by then."

"Thank you so much," said Rey. "This will definitely be a happy Christmas."

"When do you guys leave for Aspen?" asked Gwen.

"Tomorrow," piped in Ben. "So the timing was good on this. You've been great, Gwen."

"Well, have a great time and call me when you get back so we can get all the details sorted out."

"Will do," said Rey, leaning in to give Gwen a hug. "Have a merry Christmas, and give Hux our love."

"Enjoy your party!" called Gwen, waving them off.

* * *

The Solo Tire and Lube corporate holiday party was at a fancy hotel ballroom downtown. Han Solo never missed an opportunity to throw a great party.

"Dang," said Rey, after they passed their keys off to the valet and walked through the gold gilded doors. "This kind of puts Finn's Chili's party to shame."

"That's coming from somebody who sent the waiter back for more chips and salsa four times."

"They're bottomless!" cried Rey. "And yeah, it was a pretty great party. Much better than what Plutt used to do for us, anyway. You in a hideous reindeer sweater eating baby back ribs and drinking cheap margaritas is an image that I will carry with me forever. Teedo and Snap haven't stopped talking about it."

"I still don't know how I let you talk me into wearing that."

"Because you love me." She tugged on his arm and batted her eyelashes. Ben rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "And because Finn was so nervous to plan the garage's party and we could at least support him when he asked for ugly sweaters."

"How much longer do you think he'll keep waiting tables there?" asked Ben, as he guided Rey toward the right ballroom. "I know he's cut back on shifts, but his manager's salary should be adequate enough for him to quit, don't you think?"

"He's just waiting for you guys to hire your real manager, at which point he'll have to go back to his old position." She stopped walking and looked up at Ben seriously. "I'm absolutely bowled over by the money I'll get from Plutt, but I feel a little selfish using it all for myself. I had a kind of silly daydream over the last little bit that I'd have some extra money to give Finn to help him buy the garage." She furrowed her brow. "Maybe I can make it work."

"Rey," said Ben, clasping her hands. "I have something to tell you."

Whatever it was, though, was interrupted by the loud booming voice of Chewie greeting them before he wrapped them both up in a group hug. He was followed by Leia and Han, who accosted the couple as well.

After Leia released Rey from her tight squeeze, she took a step back and admired Rey. "Oh, Rey, this dress is perfect on you. You look beautiful."

Blushing, Rey said, "Well, you have great taste!"

"It was fun to pick out one sexy dress for you in the midst of all that bulky ski clothes shopping we did," said Leia, eyes twinkling.

"Ugh, Mom, don't say 'sexy,'" whined Ben.

Leia wrapped an arm around Rey's waist and lowered her voice to a dramatic whisper as she led Rey away from Ben into the ballroom.

"I guess my prudish son won't appreciate those sexy bikinis I bought you for the resort hot tub. I think I have time to return them before our flight tomorrow."

"Yes, I suppose so," Rey stage-whispered back, before she turned her head and grinned up mischievously at her pouty boyfriend.

As she walked with Leia into the party, she heard Han mutter to Ben, "those two have you by the balls, kid."

* * *

Ben hadn't inherited his father's enjoyment of parties, but he had to admit he was enjoying his evening with Rey, even though she let never let them stray too far from the food tables. Almost all of his colleagues came up to them, excited to meet his girlfriend. Her small talk skills were so much better than his, and she put everyone around them at ease in a way that he was never able to. She fit so perfectly into his life, like she was always meant to be there.

The crowd grew quiet as Han stepped up to a podium at the front of the ballroom.

"Happy holidays, everyone." His voice boomed through the microphone. "Thank you all for another great year at Solo Tire!" He lifted the drink in his hand in the direction of the crowd and everyone applauded.

"It's truly been an excellent year for us," he continued. "Early this year, my talented son Ben came to work with us and the company has been blessed for it. This year, we've expanded our operations overseas, and the projections for future growth and revenue are already better than we had initially dreamed of. We've improved our franchisee reporting system to ensure that all of our employees across the world are treated fairly. This is an area where we simply can't become complacent. We've also redesigned our employees' uniforms and provided incentives to franchise owners to improve their storefronts and create a better environment for our customers."

"Everyone likes the new look," Rey whispered to Ben. Instead of their coveralls, the employees now had blue oxford shirts in both short and long-sleeved options, dark blue pants, and little bowties. It was cute and classy, and Rey had mentioned that they had gotten a lot of positive feedback from customers. She had also told him that all of the employees were more careful to avoid getting grease and oil on their clothes, resulting in an all-around cleaner look for the whole garage.

"But," said Han, "one of the most exciting changes is yet to come. On that note, I'm going to let my son say a few words."

Ben nervously stepped up to the podium. Public speaking wasn't his favorite thing, but he was excited to finally announce what he had been keeping quiet for months.

"As my dad said, we've been making some investments, particularly overseas, that have helped us see a greater return and brighter financial future for this company." Ben looked out over the crowd and locked eyes with Rey. "But we've also learned that one of the best things we can do is invest in our own employees. Therefore, we are expanding our scholarship program to allow motivated employees to complete their educational goals, whether that's their GED, more vocational training, associate's degree, or a four-year degree. We've named this endeavor the Ray of Hope Scholarship Program, and we look forward to unrolling it to all of our employees over the coming year."

The room burst into applause, and Ben nodded and slipped off the stage while someone else took his spot to announce the night's raffle winners.

Rey had eagerly entered her name into all of the door prize raffles, but when Ben returned to her side, he found that she wasn't listening to any of the winners being announced. She silently wrapped her arms around him and tugged him away from the crowd.

"How long have you been working on this?" she asked.

Ben scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I didn't really work on it, per se. I had the idea, and hired a couple of other people who have done everything. But it's been in the works since the summer."

"And did you come up with the name?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

Rey sighed and leaned into his chest. The music started up again, and Ben took her right hand and began to sway to the music. Once she matched his rhythm, he twirled her out and pulled her back in.

"Go figure that as soon as this option becomes available, I get the money for school," she said.

"You know," he muttered, "We were going to offer you the chance to test out our program, but now that you've got your nest egg it might be best if you were able to focus entirely on school, you know, quit the garage. I'm sure your new boss would understand."

She looked up at him. "You sold the garage?"

"Yes, to a man you may know. Finn Trooper?"

Rey stopped dancing, squealed, and threw her arms around Ben. "Are you serious right now?"

"Yes, I tried to tell you earlier, but we got interrupted. It was the right thing to do. He was doing a bang-up job managing the place and helping with all the auditing and law enforcement concerns you guys have had over the last few months."

"Wait," said Rey. "There is no way he was able to put up that kind of cash."

"We let all of Plutt's garages go cheap. It's a risky investment for anyone to take on a franchise that had been in the hands of someone involved in crime. So really the new owners did us a favor. Corporate will even help with the next couple months of the real estate lease. Anyway, all of this just finalized. Finn told me I could tell you."

"This is amazing! I need to call Finn." She started to run off, but turned abruptly and grabbed Ben's face, bringing him in for a kiss. "You are amazing. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," said Ben. She gave him a giant smile that still managed to melt his heart after half a year together before slipping away and fishing out her phone. Ben was pulled from his thoughts when he felt a hand clap on his shoulder.

"That's quite a girl you've got there, kid," his father's voice said.

Ben just nodded silently.

"How do you think she'll do on the slopes?"

"I don't know," admitted Ben. "I think she's pretty nervous, actually."

"Well, she can't be any worse than you were when you started."

"Dad, I was six years old."

"I'll never forget seeing you sprawled out halfway down the mountain, crying to go back to the resort and play your Game Boy."

"Is there a point to this?"

Han laughed. "Lighten up, kid. I'm just messing with you. Listen, I'm really proud of everything you've been doing around here. So much of the company's positive growth can be directly tied to you."

"Thanks, Dad." Ben swallowed and looked right at his father. "I'm…I'm really glad I came home. And not just because I met Rey."

"We're glad, too, son. I haven't seen your mom so happy in years." Han's face grew more serious. "You know, she's not running for re-election next year."

"What?" Ben was stunned. His mom had had an election year every other year since Ben was in middle school. "Why?"

"She'll tell you it's because she's tired of the game, but really it's because politics has gotten so dirty recently, and she's worried someone will come poking through our family's business and twist the brave things that you did against First Order and expose Rey's involvement with that Unkar Plutt."

Ben couldn't speak. So many years of feeling like his mom never put him first, and now she was ending her entire career to protect him and Rey.

Han seemed to read Ben's emotional reaction and added brightly, "Plus she wants plenty of time to plan a wedding for her little boy."

"Umm…her little boy doesn't have a fiancé."

"I know, I know, it doesn't have to be tomorrow. Anyway, your mom is up to her dirty tricks and is trying to sell me on this whole retirement thing. When she leaves office in a year, I'm going to significantly lighten my load around here. You'll be ready to start filling in my shoes. You've proven yourself, son. I'm proud of you."

Ben swallowed thickly and nodded a little. The two stood silently for a few minutes, observing the party. Nothing more needed to be said. He and his dad were going to be okay.

* * *

"Hey, you totally blew by my complex," said Rey as Ben drove her home, since her car was still parked at the Solo Tire headquarters. They had left the party after Rey got off the phone with Finn, both needing to finish packing for their Christmas ski trip.

"We'll go there soon. I just wanted to give you your Christmas present first."

"What do you call all the winter gear you got me? The luggage? The whole trip?"

"You needed that stuff. Besides, my parents got that stuff, actually. And technically, they're taking us on this trip."

"You told me that the only present I should get you is learning how to ski."

"And I meant that. I love to ski, and I want you to, too." He had already set up private lessons for her with the resort's best instructor, a Swedish man named Anders. He didn't admit it to Rey, but he was secretly relieved to find out that Anders was about sixty years old. "Honestly, Rey, just having you there will make it the best Christmas I've ever had."

A few minutes later, he pulled into a familiar elementary school parking lot. He wordlessly got out and helped Rey out, as well. The nights were getting a bit chilly, so he draped his suit jacket around her bare shoulders and led her to the swing set. They hadn't come back to her special spot since the night they first kissed, and Ben was grateful that she didn't ask any questions as they took their seats on adjacent rusty swings.

After a moment of silence, she spoke. "I guess I don't need to escape from Plutt here anymore. The house around the corner isn't even his now."

He let her think for a little while as he held her hand from across the gap between them.

"I know a lot has changed for you in the last little while," said Ben. "I hope you're happy."

Rey smiled. "I'm happier than I've ever been. I think of teenaged me, swinging here, sad and lonely…I barely recognize her these days. She'll always be a part of me, but I think she'd be pretty happy with where my life has taken me."

"Yeah," agreed Ben. "I think I know what you mean."

"Anyway," said Rey, grinning at him. "You mentioned a present?"

Ben smiled at her, okay with the abrupt subject change. He reached for his jacket pocket, before he realized he wasn't wearing it. He apologized and reached in under the jacket that Rey was wearing. Once he produced a white envelope, he handed it to Rey, who opened it and scanned through it.

"Is this…? Actually, I'm not entirely sure what it is."

Ben took it back. "It's a contract."

"Yeah, I saw that. For what?"

"It's between a contractor and this school district. I'm paying to rebuild this playground. They're going to take out all this old rusty junk and replace it with new, state-of-the-art equipment suitable for all ages and abilities. They'll install lights, so kids can play here safely in the evenings, too…there'll be a bench with your name on it…it'll really be something, I think."

Rey stood up from her swing and stood in front of Ben, in a perfect recreation of their first kiss.

"You bought a playground? In Coruscant Hills?" Her voice was a whisper.

"Yeah, the kids in this neighborhood deserve a nice place to play, don't you think?"

She kissed him lightly. "I can't imagine a nicer gift. Maybe someday we can bring our…" She cut herself off, staring at the ground. "Never mind," she mumbled. She kissed him again and took her seat on her swing.

Ben stood and stood in front of Rey. He bent and kissed her on the head. "Maybe someday we can bring our kids here," he finished for her.

Without waiting for her response, he twisted the chains of her swing all the way to the top. She loved spinning. Ben smiled as he recalled how she had made them all sick on the Teacups at Disney World. Finally, he let go and the chain unwound, sending her around and around.

Her swing eventually stopped, placing her face to face with Ben, where he was waiting on one knee, holding a ring box.

She gasped. "Oh, my gosh," she blurted out. "I can't believe this. I had thought, maybe, maybe, you would propose in Aspen, but I thought even that was a stretch. I mean, that is, what this is, right? If it's not, you can just kill me now. Did you tell your parents? Does Finn know? Did Gwen know when we were there today? Wait, did you give me a playground just to butter me up?"

Ben waited patiently through her outburst. When she paused to grab a very needed breath, he awkwardly gestured at the ground with his free hand.

"Is it okay if I, um, you know?" asked Ben, amused. "It's pretty uncomfortable on this bark."

"Yes, yes!" cried Rey, who had melted into a mixture of laughing and crying. She wiped at her tears and waved her hand dramatically. "You may proceed."

"Okay…" said Ben. "Well, I had this whole speech prepared, but you've kind of thrown me off my game here." He shook his head and looked at his beautiful Rey, her eyes glistening and her smile wide. Suddenly, his prepared words didn't matter so much. "Just, I love you and can't imagine my life without you. I want the chance to see your gorgeous smile every day for as long as I live. I'll do everything I can to deserve it." He opened the ring box. "Will you marry me?"

"You really want to marry me?" she asked softly.

He looked right into her eyes. "More than anything."

She stood and helped Ben to his feet.

"Of course I'll marry you," said Rey. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Their sweet, tender kiss turned more passionate. After a minute, Ben broke away.

"Wait, you seem to be missing something," he said, pulling back. He grabbed Rey's left hand and slid on the magnificent ring.

She squinted as she observed it from every angle under the dark night sky.

"Well, I think we can safely say you've spent more on me than I did on you for Christmas," said Rey.

"If it helps, I didn't actually spend anything on this ring. It was my grandmother's."

She seemed to look down at her hand with new eyes. "Your grandmother Breha's?"

"Yeah," he stammered. He felt stupid. "I thought you might like… you know what, I will take you to pick out whatever ring you want, I promise."

Rey pulled him back in. "Ben, it's absolutely perfect. I am honored you'd share a piece of your family with me."

"Sweetheart," said Ben, as he lifted her left hand and kissed her finger. "You are my family." A thought occurred to him. "Hey, wait, you didn't say yes because I bought you a playground, right?"

Rey laughed merrily and smacked his chest. They walked back to Ben's car hand in hand.

"You know, I was thinking," said Rey. "Being here, in my old neighborhood, it's not all bad. It might be nice for us to settle here, in Coruscant Hills. It's where we met, after all. We could get a little place, maybe down this street…"

Ben froze. He attempted to keep his expression neutral.

"Yeah, okay," he finally forced himself to say. "Whatever would make you the happiest."

Rey beamed gratefully, and they walked silently. They were nearly at his car when she burst out laughing.

"You should have seen your face!" she said. She leaned up and kissed him. "I was just teasing you. I love you, you big snob."

"I'd do it," he said seriously. "If that was what you really wanted."

"I know that, and that's why I love you."

"I never thought this place would grow on me," admitted Ben.

"Well, you can still come back and visit Finn at his garage. Hey, should we have the wedding there?"

"Uhhh…"

"Oh, Ben, you are just too easy," she said, laughing again. "How about out on your grandparents' island?"

"That sounds perfect," agreed Ben. "Pretty much anything sounds perfect when I think about getting married to you."

"Except the garage idea," giggled Rey.

"Okay, fine, you got me there."

"What a day," said Rey. "So many changes, my life will never be the same."

"My life changed the day at the garage when I met a beautiful mechanic named Rey. You know, before I saw you, I thought you were a man?"

"Well, you wouldn't be the first. If it helps, I thought Kylo Ren was the dumbest name I had ever heard."

"I fear I'll never live the events of that week down," bemoaned Ben.

"Oh, you definitely won't. And now I know I have an entire lifetime to tease you about them."

"I can't imagine anything better."


	18. Epilogue

_Fourth of July, Five Years Later_

"Is your dad ever going to give that speech?" asked Rey, as they stood on the edge of the Falcon III yacht, looking at over the beaches of Coruscant. "These frilly Hors d'oeuvres aren't doing it for me, and I want some of that cake. I've already called his nose."

Ben rolled his eyes.

"Putting his own face on his cake is the biggest Han Solo move ever," he grumbled. "It'll take away my appetite."

"Like you'd eat it anyway. Besides, it's his retirement party. I think he's entitled to a little self-congratulations."

"But a cake of him?"

"What's wrong with that? I aspire to have a cake of me. It's the dream, really."

He laughed. "Of course you'd think that." Kissing her on the nose, he added, "And that's noted."

Finally, they were interrupted by the clinking of glasses that indicated that Han was going to make his annual speech. This year was special, though. Han had decided to parlay his retirement party into his Fourth of July party, so Ben was expecting an extra long speech.

His father's retirement was really a formality at this point. Ever since he had decided to start cutting down on work over five years ago, he had distanced himself more and more from the daily machinations of the company until the point where he barely worked at all.

The biggest move of all was that he was officially handing over ownership of the entire company to Ben and Rey.

Han stood at the front of the crowd that had gathered on the deck of the yacht, a larger group than usual, per the occasion.

Ben felt a little uncomfortable in such close proximity with all of these people, but he felt it was important to be near the front with Rey and his mother.

In front of the group, Han held up his glass.

"Thank you all for joining Leia and I on another Fourth of July party. We've been holding these parties for over 30 years although you'd never know, looking at this young face."

"Every year," groaned Ben, and his mother nudged him in the ribs.

"And thank you for those of you who are here to celebrate my retirement. I've driven a long road, over 50 years, first as a street racer, then as a NASCAR racer, then as a mechanic, then as an entrepreneur. With the support of so many of you here, I'm able to leave Solo Tire and Lube as a large, thriving international brand with a bright future, even without me in the driver's seat."

He held up his glass, and everyone cheered.

"I could spend all day thanking each and every one of you, but I've been dying to dive into that cake all day so I'll keep it short. First, to my lifelong partner in crime, Charles Bacca, who's been with me since my racing day and is the best friend and first mate I could ever ask for." He nodded towards Chewie, who grinned at him through his long, gray beard.

"Next, my son, Ben. The best thing about me retiring is knowing that I get to hand over my company, my legacy, to my own son. He's a brilliant and shrewd businessman, and this company has seen more positive changes under his leadership than it ever did under this old dunce," he said, pointing this himself. "It's been my dream since he was a little boy to pass this on, and Son, I couldn't be prouder."

Ben looked down, his throat thickening.

"And of course I must mention his amazing wife, Rey, who's a bright spot in this family and our pride and joy. I'll never understand how my son got her, but I'll be forever grateful that he did."

Ben smiled at that, and took her hand. She squeezed it and beamed up at his father.

"Rey is the second best mechanic in our family and given fifty more years, she may ever surpass me. Solo Tire is lucky to have her knowledge at the forefront."

Rey had whizzed through her studies at Coruscant U, helped by her years of practical training and the ability to focus only on school. Now she helped Ben with the company, a jack-of-all-trades for every department.

She was well loved by everybody, and deservedly so.

"To my wife of nearly forty years, the beautiful and talented Leia Organa." He gazed down at her lovingly before returning his eyes to the crowd. "No one could have been a better partner for me in this life. And now I have some ideas for how to spend my retirement with that smoking hot body."

Ben crumpled his face in his hands. Rey snickered.

"And last, but never least, the absolute apple of my eye, the most important person on Earth…" Han scanned the crowd, until his eyes settled on what he was looking for, nestled in the arms of their old friend Amilyn Holdo. "There she is. My granddaughter Bree, the most perfect being alive. At only two months, she is the most intelligent and talented person I've ever had the privilege of knowing. I only hope I live long enough to see her step forward and take over Solo Tire."

Both Ben and Rey startled forward, and Han laughed and held up his hands. "If she wants to." He raised his glass. "Now let's eat my car!"

Everyone watched as he carved into the enormous cake made into a replica of his old racecar, the Millennium Falcon. His picture was in the driver's seat. It was the most ridiculous thing Ben had ever seen, but it seemed to make his dad happy. They'd have leftovers from now until Bree's third birthday, but he was certain that Rey would help polish them off. Right then, she stood eagerly at the front of the line, waiting for her first piece.

The crowd dispersed, some grabbing cake, others grouping off to chat. Ben sank into a chair, where his mom, now holding baby Bree, soon joined him.

"Hey you," he said, reaching out a finger to tickle Bree's tummy. Now that she was getting out of the newborn stage, he loved seeing her start to react to certain things. Bree gave him a little gummy smile. "You've really made the rounds today, huh, baby girl?"

"She sure has. I practically had to seize her from Ami. D'Acy told me she was next in line but I claimed grandmother rights." She looked around. "Where's Rey?"

"Where do you think?"

Leia chuckled. "You guys all ready to leave tomorrow?" In the morning, Han and Leia were taking the family on a celebratory trip to the private Caribbean island of Scarif.

"Pretty much. I think Bree has more stuff packed than both Rey and I combined."

"That's life with kids, I'm afraid." She smiled down at the baby in her arms and stroked the frilly little nautical dress she had bought her.

Together, they cooed at Bree until Rey came up behind them.

"Sorry, Leia," she said. "But I need to take her. My boobs are going to explode."

Leia handed off Bree, who was sucking vigorously on her finger. "Good. I think she's hungry." She reached over and tickled her feet. "Bye bye, Breha. Nana loves you."

Leia was the only one called her by her full name, proud as she was that Ben and Rey had named her after her mother.

Ben stood up to follow Rey to the lower cabin Leia had set up as a nursery, but Rey held up a hand to stop him.

"No, don't come. You'll distract her and I need her to eat."

Ben sat back down, dejected. He chatted politely with his mother and Chewie until he felt like enough time had passed to head down to the nursery. Quietly, he opened the cabin door to find Bree asleep in her bassinet and Rey sitting on the couch, relaxing.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," she whispered back, setting down her phone. "How are things up on the deck?"

"Boring."

He sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap, rubbing his hands up her sides.

"You look amazing today." He leaned in to nuzzle her neck.

She scoffed. "It's just this dress. The skirt hides my baby belly."

His hands wandered higher while his mouth moved lower. "Mmm, that's not it." Rey's postpartum sex moratorium had recently ended, and Ben was anxious to make up for lost time.

She leaned her head back as he worked his way down to her cleavage, slightly bigger thanks to pregnancy and breastfeeding.

"Ben, we shouldn't do this here."

"Why not?"

"I could list a bunch of reasons, but I'll start with the infant in our room."

"She sleeps through everything." He pulled her straps down her shoulders and slid a hand up her skirt. "There are some things I'd like to do with my wife."

"Like father like son."

"Nope." Ben pushed her off and squeezed his eyes shut.

She laughed. "I knew that'd do it." She leaned over and kissed him, lingering a bit. "Tonight, I promise. Once we've got baby girl down."

She stood and smoothed out her clothes. "Here, stay here with her. I'm going up for round two of cake and to see when we're docking. We might be able to make the Hux party tonight if we leave early enough."

"K."

"Or we could bail early and just take jet skis to shore in our clothes."

"Will there ever be a time in our entire lives that we board this damn yacht and someone doesn't mention that?"

"Hmm…I don't think so." She grinned at him wickedly before leaving him with their sleeping baby.

* * *

A while later, after they had thankfully disembarked the proper way, Ben, Rey, and Bree were loaded in their luxury Mercedes SUV. Rey was of course in the driver's seat. There were a lot of aspects of the 1% that still bewildered her even after years of being a part of it, but Ben knew that expensive cars would always be her weakness.

They were speeding along peacefully in the hot July sun when the car shook a bit and Rey grasped the steering wheel.

"What was that?" she asked, carefully turning into an empty bank parking lot.

She climbed out to investigate. "Crap!" she called out. "We've got a flat."

He unbuckled and followed her out. She was pointing to their back driver's tire.

"Look at that giant nail sticking right out of it," she said. "Talk about bad luck."

"I can call roadside service," suggested Ben.

"Are you serious?" Rey put her hands on her hips. "How embarrassing! What if you get recognized? Or worse, what if I get recognized? I have a reputation, you know."

Over the past few years, Rey had filmed a number of videos on behalf of Solo Tire, teaching basic car care. Her videos were widely watched and well received, maybe a little too well received by some of the male commenters, if you asked Ben.

"Fine, let's change it," he agreed.

"K, just give me a hand with the jack and I'll do the rest." She started rummaging through the car to access the spare tire and tools.

Ben pulled out his phone to text Hux.

Sorry, car trouble. We were already running late so we may not make it at all.

He pocketed his phone and crouched down to help Rey, who coached him through the process.

"It's like I never taught you anything," she complained as he fumbled along.

"Well, I've never changed a tire in the wild before!"

"The wild." She rolled her eyes at him. "Every franchise is going to be closed right now, and I'd hate to leave the car on a donut the whole time we're on vacation. I guess we could leave Mitaka to deal with it, but let me call Finn and see if he can let us in to one of his garages for a new tire tonight."

"I thought they were visiting Rose's family?"

"Oh that's right. Worth a try, though."

She left Ben to take off the lug nuts while she made her phone call. After a couple minutes, she returned.

"They're still in Hays with the Ticos, but we're in luck because he recently updated his security systems and we can get in with a code. We just need to figure out which garage is closer to us." She handed her phone to Ben. "Take a look and I'll finish up here."

He searched Finn's two Solo Tire franchise locations and made his determination.

"We're a little closer to the Coruscant Hills one."

"Coruscant Hills it is," she replied with a smile.

* * *

"This place looks awesome," said Rey, as they punched in Finn's code and opened the garage up. "It's been a while since I've been here."

"He's doing great," agreed Ben, setting down Bree's car seat in the waiting area.

Rey opened up a garage bay and drove in their SUV. She searched the store's inventory for the proper tire and disappeared back into the bay.

From the car seat, Ben heard a little wail.

"Well, look who's up," he said, undoing her buckles and lifting her out. He walked her over to the window between the storefront and the bay where customers could watch people work on their cars.

He held her up a little so she could see.

"Right there is where I first met your mommy," he whispered to her as they watched Rey work. "I had never seen anyone so pretty in my whole life. She's smart, too. She's way better at so many things than your daddy is. But don't tell her that."

Bree gurgled.

"You're right, she already knows." Ben kissed his baby. "I'm lucky to have my girls."

After a few minutes, Rey pulled out of the bay and came back in where Ben and Bree were waiting for her.

"That felt good," she said. "It's been a while since I've gotten my hands dirty, thanks to your dad not letting me lift a finger in his garage these past few months." She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide her smile.

Ben glanced down at his watch.

"Do you still want to hit Hux and Gwen's? It's getting late. I texted Hux. He understands."

Rey took Bree from him and set her back into her car seat.

"I don't think so," she said. "I'm pretty tired, and we have to be at the airport in the morning. I'd rather just go home."

"Yeah," said Ben, taking her slightly greasy hand and giving it a kiss. "Let's go home."

* * *

 **A/N -** Thank you so much for reading and supporting my story! Someday I may move over my other stories from AO3 as well, or you can find me there as dawninthemtn. I'm also dawninthemtn on twitter and tumblr if you'd like to reach out. :)


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